Child Visitation – Tips For Creating Your Visitation Schedule
How is your child visitation situation going? Are things running smoothly or have there been unforeseen complications? Many divorced parents encounter unexpected difficulties regarding child custody. Generally these issues come up regarding the visitation schedule. It can be challenging and frustrating to come up with a custody arrangement that both parents agree on. To help you avoid and fix some common problems, here are three tips for successfully creating your child visitation schedule.
1. Make the schedule work for everybody. There is a common temptation with child visitation to not let the child’s other parent spend very much time with the child. Of course you want as much time as possible with the children, but you need to be fair. If you are trying to get your former spouse to accept a schedule that obviously caters to you and what you want you will have a much more difficult time then if you are trying to create a parenting plan that works for everyone. As you come up with different calendar options, ask yourself how you would respond if the other parent presented you with this plan. If you wouldn’t like it, then the odds are the other parent won’t. If you can get a plan that both parents agree with and like then it will be much easier to implement. There won’t be constant battles and struggles trying to make the other parent confirm–and there will be less resentment. This is better in the long run because you will be able to quickly resolve the visitation issues and move on.
2. Be organized. A lot of frustration with the visitation schedule is trying to remember when the child is with what parent. It can be confusing to try and remember what parent picks the child up from school or other activities. Make your life simpler by putting up a visitation calendar (with only visitation times and events on it–use another calendar for other things) every month. Mark clearly the times the child has with each parent, and make a list to the side of important events or times when you need to pick up the child. Give a copy to the child’s other parent so there will be less confusion. This also makes it easier to make any changes that may come up in the month.
3. Do what works best for you. Many times parents feel like they have to have a standard visitation schedule. In the past, parents usually chose between a couple of options because it was easier to schedule and keep track that way. However, there are now computers that can help you create any type of rotating schedule that you want. And, you can add in any special events or change the calendar too. Don’t feel locked in to any sort of agreement. Look at your situation and decide what will work best for you and for your child.
The faster you can resolve the problems you have with child visitation, the sooner you can move on to focusing on parenting your child. When all is said and done, you want to have a visitation schedule that allows you to be the best parent you can to your child. If you remember that then you should be able to work through any issue.
