One of the most important parts of keeping a family together and the children healthy and happy even after divorce is having the best parenting schedule.
Families going through a divorce in Texas face all kinds of changes and new stressors. From splitting property to determining child support, there seems to be a thousand difficult decisions to make.
Verywellfamily gives some tips on how to design the best parenting schedule that works for every member of the family, including both spouses.
Parents should try to put themselves in the child’s shoes when they are creating a parenting plan. It can be difficult for children to travel back and forth from one home to another when they are used to living with both parents.
Before putting any decisions down on paper, parents should consider what the everyday life of the child will look like with the current parenting plan.
Parents should also consider logistics when designing a parenting plan. If both parents plan to spend extensive time with the children, it may be necessary they live close to each other.
For kids in school, parents want to consider bussing and driving options for kids to get to and from school from both residences. If children are in childcare, it is preferable that the babysitter is easily accessible for both parents.
Avvo suggests that when creating a visitation and custody schedule, parents should consider holiday and vacation schedules, school year schedules, communication, routine, special needs, record sharing, social life, how to handle disagreements, updating any agreement and transportation.
All families will have a unique parenting plan and there is no one-size-fits-all option that works for everyone.
Parents can also request a change to a visitation or parenting plan if one is no longer able to care for the children, the educational or medical needs of the child must be changed, the work schedule or job of one parent changes or one moves and the current plan is impossible or difficult to maintain.
Violating parenting plans may result in legal consequences such as counseling, mediation, mandatory parenting classes or additional court hearings.
