Filing for a divorce can be difficult for the family as it is, and yet when there are children involved in can become even more complicating. One particular reason for this extra level of stress is the fact that if spouses are also parents, they will have to deal with the fact that they cannot divorce and entirely move on. A divorce with children means that custody arrangements must be established as well as various other factors. Despite the fact that parents may not want to spend too much extra time together, establishing a well-planned out, and yet very flexible, child custody plan is half of the battle!
Here are a few tips to consider when creating your schedule in order to have a hopefully reasonable arrangement that is less stressful for you and the ex. First off, you must be willing to set aside time to do this as child custody is a very important of your life. Though you will no longer be married, you will forever have the same children and it is up to you to help them with the transition as best as possible. Remember this is for them, not for you! Sit down with each other and have your calendar and any other important meetings and times away ready to go. Be prepared with your work schedules, the intricate details of the kid's life and create your calendar. Many would encourage this arrangement to be worked through by way of mediation with the help of an attorney as opposed to going to court and having the court ultimately decide what is best for the child instead of the parents.
When determining the time frame of the custody, consider how you will best be able to show attention to the kids. Perhaps during the summer your job requires you to travel a lot. If that is the case, maybe you will have the kids during the school year and the other parent will have them over the breaks. This option is also good for those who may live in separate states, or long distances. What if you and your spouse live in the same city still and your schedule allows for you to have more frequent times with the children? If that is the case than perhaps you and your soon to be ex can work on a schedule that allows the parents to share even throughout the week. Many parents will choose to do 2/2/5/5 or even 3/3/4/4 days while switching off each time. By choosing one of those two schedules, parents will have the chance to be actively involved in their lives during the weekdays and weekends over the course of the month and year.
By living close to one another, if that is an option, it may help the kid's transition better with the divorce because they can at least remain at the same school and have the same friends. Keeping one constant is always beneficial, though sometimes not possible; and that is ok too. If throughout the week gets too overwhelming or it conflicts with your work schedule, you may consider having one parent keep the kids during the week for the school year and on the weekends rotate with the other parent and then have that schedule switch during the holidays. Now, to discuss one of the more difficult subject matters. The Holidays. After you have created a year schedule, go through and work together on how the holidays will look. Perhaps you'll have them for Christmas this year, and the other parent will have Thanksgiving and then you'll switch the following year. The possibilities are endless, and the more you are flexible the easier it will be to reach an agreement.
Don't feel that you have to do this on your own, family and divorce attorneys have spent many years helping families in order to create the most reasonable options for the divorce and child custody arrangements. Contact a Johnson County divorce attorney at Coontz Cochran today for the legal assistance that you deserve during the season of your divorce! At our firm we have years of legal experience and are highly qualified to address numerous issues regarding divorce and family law matters. It is our aim to walk with our clients every step of the way to show them the care and compassion that they deserve when going through a divorce or dealing with other family legal concerns. Contact us today and we would love to answer any questions you may have!