One of the hardest decisions to make during a divorce is who gets primary custody of the children. This is a difficult task because parents want to spend time with their children as much as possible. As divorce has become more prominent and fathers are playing a more active role, custody arrangements have begun to favor them more than in previous decades. There are two basic categories of time divisions, and a family law attorney like Nancy Bunting can helps you to know which one is the best one for your situation.
A Court Decided Schedule
The first category of arrangement is one handed down from the judge after parents battle it out in a courtroom. Usually the feelings between the two parents are not good and they require the assistance of a third party to help set a schedule. There are basic agreements that are arranged including a 50/50 schedule and a Majority Time-Sharing decision.
50/50
This type of arrangement is set up to ideally give parents equal time together. Children usually need to be too young for school for this type of a schedule. This is a more rare schedule and only temporary because it can only be maintained for so long before the child is in school. Most judges do not just hand out this judgement unless it is agreed upon by both parents and usually decided before going to court. It is not the ideal situation for any party.
Majority Time-Sharing
The most common type of arrangement that judges grant is this one, because it gives both parents a significant amount of time with the children. One parent is designated as the primary custodian, where the kids sleep and live the majority of the time. This gives children a home base to use and attend school. The other parent receives visitations every other weekend and sometimes on one night during the week. Holidays are divided too.
If parents live in different states, children usually spend the school year with the primary care parent and then spend the summer with the other parent. School breaks are also divided, along with holidays.
Custom Arrangements
If parents get along well or have unique circumstances, they often choose to make their own custom arrangement. The schedule is completely tailored to fit the two lives of the parents and mutually agreed on. The judges usually prefer that parents come up with something like this because they know their own lives and schedules better than they can mandate from the bench. Doing something like this requires that both parties agree to the schedule beforehand. The more amicable the divorce, the more likely they are to choose this option.
