Splitting up time with the children can be complicated when you get divorced, and what the court decides certainly will depend on the unique factors of your own relationship. No two marriages are the same, but the court will always address the child’s best interests.
It can be helpful for parents to know what custody scheduling options they have. The following are certainly not all of the options at your disposal, but they do give you some idea of how this can work.
The weekend schedule
In some cases, one parent will only really have availability on the weekends. It could also turn out that the children would prefer to stay in the same home during the school week, making their lives (and commute) simpler. This can lead to a schedule where they spend a week with one parent and weekends with the other.
The weekly schedule
Additionally, some parents will keep things simple by swapping weeks, perhaps deciding to do so every Sunday evening or every Monday at school. This will work best if the parents live relatively close to each other so that bringing the children to school or to visit their friends is not complicated.
The visitation schedule
Finally, there are some cases in which one parent will essentially just have visitation rights and will not actually have physical custody of the children on a consistent basis. This could happen if someone has to travel frequently for work, for example, and so their living situation just is not stable enough.
As you and your ex work through creating a parenting plan, make sure you also know what legal rights you have. The right parenting schedule can help things go smoothly.
