When setting up an initial child custody schedule, you will likely focus on creating a standardized schedule that works during the week. For instance, perhaps both you and your ex work, and your children are in school. Your custody arrangement will be based on your schedules and their transportation needs, and it may be as simple as just exchanging custody every week.
This can work for much of the year, but it doesn’t necessarily work 100% of the time. There are some important questions to ask.
How do you handle breaks from school?
To begin with, the children will likely get two weeks off for the winter break and three months off for the summer break. This drastically changes their schedule, even though you and your ex may still have to work. How are you going to alter the custody arrangement?
Moreover, parents sometimes like to take trips over summer vacation or visit extended family members around the Christmas holidays. How are you going to handle custody when you’re not at home? Does the schedule need to be somewhat flexible to accommodate these things?
How do you address the holidays?
Furthermore, you likely want to make a plan for any major holidays. This often starts with Christmas or Thanksgiving, but it can also include children’s birthdays, the New Year’s holiday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and much more.
There are many potential solutions, such as switching holidays every other year or splitting the holidays in half so that each parent has the child for half of the day. However, it is important to plan in advance because this falls outside the scope of the standard schedule.
If you’re creating a child custody schedule or trying to resolve a dispute with your ex, take the time to carefully look into your legal options.