If you are a parent facing divorce or a child custody case, you naturally want the best parenting time schedule. If you have landed on a mutually acceptable agreement with your divorcing spouse that 50/50 custody is the right approach for you, you have already made great strides. You are ready to get down to the business of hammering out scheduling terms.
The bottom line is that the best parenting time schedule for you, your ex, and your children may look very different than it would for another family. Discuss your parenting time concerns with an experienced Round Rock parenting time attorney today.
Parenting Time
In Texas, child custody is addressed in terms of decision-making authority, legal custody, parenting time, or physical custody. Your 50/50 custody schedule relates to physical custody. All things being equal, Texas courts attempt to maximize the amount of time children spend with each parent – barring extenuating circumstances.
If you and your ex agree to split your parenting time equally, you’re doing something right, and now comes the tricky work of finding the right 50/50 parenting time schedule for you.
The Matter of Child Support
It is important to understand that having a 50/50 parenting time schedule doesn’t negate the issue of child support – the way many parents believe it does. Child support is a payment system that’s designed to balance financial support for the children between both parents according to their ability to pay.
While the amount of parenting time each parent has is an important consideration in this calculation, it is not the only one. Ultimately, the parent who earns more generally has the child support obligation – even when parenting time is shared equally.
When 50/50 Schedules Tend to Work Best
Texas courts always make child custody decisions with the children’s best interests in mind. The kinds of circumstances that lend themselves well to splitting parenting time down the middle include all the following:
When both parents are invested in effective co-parenting, and in the process, keep the lines of communication open between them
When both parents live close enough to one another to make regular exchanges feasible
When the children involved are old enough and mature enough to handle frequent moves between homes.
When both parents are committed to the 50/50 schedule
When both parents have the flexibility to accommodate the scheduling hiccups that inevitably arise
Devising Your Own Parenting Time Schedule
If you and your divorcing spouse – or ex – can create a 50/50 parenting time schedule that makes sense for each of you and your children, the court is very likely to accept and implement it. The fact is that every family’s needs are different, and considerations like the following must be carefully assessed:
You and your ex’s work schedules
Whether either of you travels a significant amount for work
Whether either of you has more flexibility in terms of dealing with unexpected scheduling events
The distance each of your jobs is from your homes – or whether either of you works remotely
The distance you and your ex live from one another
The amount of help either of you has with the children, such as having immediate family members who pitch in
Your children’s ages and developmental stages
Your children’s participation in extracurricular activities and travel
Factors such as if one or more of your children have a part-time job or whether they have a driver’s license of their own
Your unique circumstances will set the parameters for the kind of 50/50 parenting time schedule that is right for you. If you can create one together, you can expect a more fine-tuned schedule that fits your needs. If, on the other hand, you require the court’s intervention on the matter, you’ll likely receive one of their standard schedules.
Options to Consider
When it comes to 50/50 custody, there is a wide range of parenting time schedules available.
The Schedule of Alternating Weeks
A straightforward approach to 50/50 parenting is each of you taking the kids for alternating weeks, which typically means that drop-offs and pickups happen at the same time every week. For example, you may pick your kids up after school this Wednesday while your ex picks them up after school next Wednesday.
This schedule allows you to divide school days and weekends evenly and ensures no complicated scheduling shifts to memorize. This approach, however, is not great for small children. Parents who alternate weeks often build in regular visitation – such as a weeknight dinner with the parent who doesn’t have the children that week.
The Schedule of Alternating Every Two Weeks
Taking two weeks on and two weeks off is similar to the alternating one-week schedule discussed, but it’s generally reserved for special circumstances, such as when one parent routinely travels for work.
The 3-4-4-3 Schedule
This schedule breaks two weeks into even chunks that ensure each parent gets a whole week out of the two-week period with no long, childless stretches. With this schedule, Parent A has three days, and Parent B has four, followed by Parent A having four days and Parent B having three. This schedule divides parenting time evenly and is easy for the children to get used to.
The 2-2-5-5 Schedule
The 2-2-5-5 schedule translates to your children spending two days with one of you and two days with the other, which is followed by spending five days with each of you. This approach affords you a longer stretch of visitation in every two-week period, which can bolster stability and tends to work well for older children.
The 2-2-3 Schedule
This schedule affords Parent A two days with the children and Parent B two days with the children, which is followed by Parent A having the children for three days. From here, the schedule starts over with Parent B in the starting position.
This schedule ensures that each parent gets every other weekend with the children, keeps parenting time evenly divided, and eliminates long childless stretches. The 2-2-3 schedule does, however, involve a considerable amount of moving back and forth between homes, which isn’t a great approach for every child.
The Schedule of Alternating Every 2 Days
Another 50/50 approach that involves a lot of going back and forth is alternating every two days, which affords children and parents considerable consistency but can prove overwhelming. Schedules with frequent shifts often work best for parents who live close to one another and can equip their homes to minimize the amount of stuff the children need to lug back and forth.
The Schedule of Every Extended Weekend
When one parent takes every weekend, they have custody from the time school lets out on Friday to when the kids return to school on Monday morning. While this schedule is a 60/40 split, factoring in third-party time – such as school – moves it closer to a 50/50 schedule.
The issue with this schedule is that one parent has the children every weekend, arguably prime parenting time. Nevertheless, it can work well when one parent works weekends.
Making Provisions for Holidays and Summer
Parenting time schedules focus on the school year, but holidays, breaks, and summers off need to be contended with. When you split your time evenly, summer generally isn’t an issue – you’ll continue to do so but will need to revise for pickups and drop-offs, which won’t happen at school and may not coincide with when school starts or gets out.
Holidays
When you divide your parenting time evenly, holidays generally need to be addressed. Typically, each parent gets the kids for every specific holiday every other year. For example, you might have the kids for Thanksgiving this year while your ex has them for Christmas – next year, your ex will have the kids for Thanksgiving while you have them for Christmas.
If you live close to one another, you may both be able to spend some of each holiday – or some of most holidays – with your children. These are concerns that you should hammer out according to the circumstances that apply.
Birthdays
Another consideration is your children’s birthdays, which you and your ex naturally want to celebrate. Striking a balance regarding your children’s birthdays tends to be the best approach. Usually, each parent also gets time with their children on their own birthdays. And the mother is generally awarded time with her kids on Mother’s Day – just as the father is on Father’s Day.
Breaks
The holiday and spring break are usually the longest, but some districts have additional breaks built into the school year. If you share 50/50 custody, sticking with your regular schedule may work well. However, if you are both interested in taking the kids on a spring break getaway, you may need to divide and conquer – with each of you claiming every other spring break.
When special scheduling eats away at your parenting time – depriving you of 50/50 status – you may need to rejigger your regular schedule a bit. There are apps available that make it convenient to record your actual parenting time and can help ensure that you’re not shorted.
FAQ
Is a 50/50 parenting time schedule always a good idea?
No, a 50/50 parenting time schedule isn’t necessarily the best approach for your family. Texas courts are interested in maximizing the amount of time children spend with each parent, but if your children are young, if they are sensitive to moving back and forth, or if you and your ex live a considerable distance apart, a 50/50 parenting time schedule may not be a great option.
What factors make 50/50 parenting plans more doable?
To share parenting time equally with your ex, you need to maintain open communication between the two of you, and you should both be committed to doing what it takes to be effective co-parents. If you’re both on the same page regarding parenting, a 50/50 schedule can work very well.
What if my 50/50 parenting time schedule isn’t working?
In certain situations, you can seek a parenting time modification. For example, if there has been a significant change in circumstances that is relevant to your parenting time schedule, the court will consider a modification.
Reach Out to an Experienced Round Rock Parenting Time Attorney Today
Brett Pritchard at The Law Office of Brett H. Pritchard – proudly serving Round Rock, Texas – is a savvy parenting time attorney who appreciates how important your parenting time schedule is to you and is committed to helping you negotiate one that addresses your concerns and maximizes your time with your children.
Our legal team has a wealth of experience successfully guiding complex parenting time cases toward optimal outcomes, and we’re standing by to help you. Your case is important, so please don’t hesitate to contact us at 254-781-4222 to learn more about what we can do for you by scheduling your free consultation today.
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