How to find the best child custody schedule

On Behalf of | Feb 24, 2020 | Child Custody & Visitation

Getting divorced is never easy, but the process becomes especially complicated when children are involved. When parents in Florida file for divorce, they might fight over child custody. Though some parents are fine with one parent having the kids during the weekdays and another during the weekends, many want to share equal custody over their children.

Some parents may want to split time 50-50 by alternating weeks so that one parent has the kids one week and the other the next. However, this can be difficult with smaller children who need to be watched after school as it is harder to arrange childcare on an every-other-week basis. It can also be hard for children to go a full week without seeing one of their parents. Thus, a better schedule could be for one parent to have the kids for four days and the other for three days; the parents would switch off every other week. If the parents live close together and it is not too disruptive to the children’s school schedules, a 2-2-3 alternating schedule can also work.

If parents are on good terms, an every-other-week schedule could potentially work if the parents are willing to spend time together during the week, such as having dinner as a family during the week. However, it is often the case that divorcing couples do not know how they are going to feel around each other once their divorce is final, and sharing custody can often cause problems that were not anticipated at the time the child custody schedule was initially created.

A family law attorney may help divorcing parents come up with a child custody plan that works for everyone. Depending on whether parents want a 50-50 split or something less even, like 60-40, there are multiple options available.