When there’s a divorce with children involved, there’s going to be the inevitable conversation about who will have primary custody and what kind of visitation will take place. Doing your homework and research in this area is essential because you don’t want to lose out on what rights you could have when it comes to your children.
That’s why discussing these matters with a legal professional before you sign anything is essential. Here are some tips to remember when trying to devise a visitation schedule between you and your ex-spouse
Creating A List of Essential Factors To Keep In Mind
You can either discuss these factors in the presence of Sydney Law Group or just with your ex to see what would work best. You’ll need to consider the following:
● The age of the child/children: the general rule of thumb is that the younger the child, the more evenly split the visitation schedule should be in order to create stability in the child’s life. As they age, a child is more likely to have less time to spend with their parents since they’ll be involved with their friends and extracurricular activities.
● The level of cooperation between the co-parents: if the relationship between the parents is not good, extra factors have to be put into place, like meeting at a neutral place for pick-ups.
● The ability for either parent to be flexible: if one parent travels more to and from work, they’ll probably have less time for visitation. It should be whatever is most fair to both parties and the children.
Again, these matters should be discussed with all parties to ensure that the children’s well-being is cared for; this shouldn’t be about one spouse getting back at the other.
Putting Children In The Center, Not In The Middle
There is no reason for any child to be pitted against either parent; a divorce is a separation of the spouses, and children should not be privy to the details of the marriage’s dissolution. Some things to keep in mind to make this as smooth a transition as possible are:
● Using shared calendaring for blended custody schedules so there’s never any confusion or need to argue;
● Requesting holiday swaps and recording child pick-ups so that everyone gets an equal amount of time with the children;
● Retaining court-admissible records, transcripts, and documentation so that the terms of the visitation are clear;
● Resolving disputes with trained professional mediators to eliminate/reduce stress, especially for the children;
● Tracking expenses and sending requests to your co-parent, especially if one parent has primary custody.
Gow to Create a Visitation Schedule: Legal Custody Versus Physical Custody
People often confuse the two, but there is a clear difference. The child is in physical custody on various days of the week. Legal custody refers to the responsibilities related to any significant decision-making regarding the child’s upbringing, such as their health, religious upbringing, and education. It is more common nowadays for divorced parents to have 50/50 physical custody of children.
Finding out what works for all parties involved, including the children, takes a lot of conversation and fine balancing to arrive at an agreement everyone is happy. Don’t leave things to chance, and speak with a legal professional to help you sort out the details of your visitation agreement.
