An important part of every divorce that involves children is negotiating child custody terms that work for everyone involved. Because your situation is utterly unique to you, a cookie-cutter plan that is likely to be handed down by the court is unlikely to be your best option. You and your divorcing spouse can negotiate any parenting plan terms that address your unique needs, and an experienced Florence divorce attorney can help you get there.
Related: The 3 Child Custody Questions You Should Ask Your Divorce Lawyer
Physical Custody
Your parenting plan (or visitation) is a facet of physical custody, which determines how you and your ex will split your time with your shared children. Often, one parent becomes the primary custodial parent with whom the children live the majority of the time, and the other receives a visitation schedule. You may also, however, divide your parenting time more equally. If you keep the decision-making power between yourselves and negotiate your own terms, you can arrange a parenting schedule that works for everyone involved – including you, your ex, your children – and that takes your busy schedules into account.
Important Factors to Take into Consideration
When devising a parenting plan that works for your unique family, the most important considerations are obviously your children's needs. For example, if any of your children have special education and/or healthcare needs, this may guide your decision-making process. If one of you will be remaining in your family home with the children post-divorce, this may guide how you divide up your parenting time. Keep all of the following factors in mind as you move forward:
A baby who is breastfeeding obviously needs more consistent time with his or her mother – in addition to frequent visits with his or her father.
Young children crave consistency, so hammering out a smoothly flowing parenting plan that you can stick to is paramount. You don’t want your children to feel as if they are being buffeted about.
Teenagers are beginning to build their own lives – learning to drive and taking on part-time jobs of their own – which makes allowing them increased input regarding how they divide their time between the two of you more reasonable.
Be Consistent and Flexible
If you and your divorcing spouse are able to work out a parenting plan schedule between yourselves, it demonstrates an admirable ability to cooperate. The best path forward from here is to remain consistent and to adhere carefully to your parenting plan. Because life is full of twists and turns, however, it’s also important to be flexible. Accommodating each other’s reasonable requests for schedule changes can go a long way toward keeping the peace and maintaining a parenting plan that works for your family.
An Experienced Florence Divorce Attorney Can Help
Brett Pritchard at The Law Office of Brett H. Pritchard – proudly serving Florence, Texas – is a focused criminal defense lawyer who understands the serious nature of your concerns and is committed to helping you negotiate a favorable parenting plan that fully supports your parental rights. We’re here to help, so please do not wait to contact or call us at 254-501-4040 today.
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