Custody cases come in all shapes and sizes. When a judge makes a decision they will look at each case on a case by case basis. Your case is unique and you will more than likely not have the same time-sharing schedule as your neighbor. Here are a few examples of time-sharing that we see often.
50/50, Equal Time-Sharing Schedule
A very popular time-sharing schedule today is a 50/50, equal time-sharing schedule. This time-sharing schedule is based on the premise that both parents have equal time with their children. The standard 50/50 time-sharing schedule is a schedule where the children rotate between parents each week. This schedule tends to work best with older children. Another popular 50/50 schedules is what we refer to as a 2-2-3 schedule. In a 2-2-3 time-sharing schedule, one parent has every Monday and Tuesday, the other parent has every Wednesday and Thursday and then they rotate the weekends. This schedule tends to work best with younger children, as they need frequent and continuing contact with both parents.
Every Other Weekend Time-Sharing Schedule
One of the most traditional time-sharing schedule is an every other weekend schedule. With this schedule, the children live the majority of the time with one parent. The other parent will get time-sharing every other weekend. Usually from Friday after school and returning the children to school on Monday morning. Often with this schedule, the children will spend time with the non-majority parent one night during the week as well.
Long Distance Time-Sharing Schedule
Sometimes one parent lives in another state or even another county. In this instance, it is impossible to send the children to visit with the other parent every other week or even every other weekend. In that instance, the children will live with one parent the majority of the time and will visit with the other parent on holidays and during the summer. Usually the other parent will have time-sharing for all or most of the summer. The other parent will also have time-sharing during the winter break, spring break and Thanksgiving. When crafting a long distance time-sharing schedule, its best if you delineate how travel will take place and who will pay for the travel. A Tampa custody lawyer familiar with these type of schedules can help navigate some of the pitfalls that come with long distance time-sharing schedules.
Supervised Time-Sharing Schedule
On rare occasions, it might be dangerous to leave the children alone with one parent. For example, there might be drug or alcohol abuse involved. Or one parent might have psychical limitations that prevent them from adequately caring for the child alone. In these situations, a supervised time-sharing schedule for that parent may be more appropriate. With this schedule, the children are never left alone with that parent. Instead, a supervisor is always present to monitor the visitation. Often these supervisors are other family members who volunteer to supervise the visitation. Sometimes you can hire a private supervisor to help supervise. In some instances, a supervised time-sharing schedule will set forth steps the other parent must complete in order to transition to unsupervised time-sharing. A supervised time-sharing schedule may also be used when one parent is absent from the other parents life for an extended period of time and reunification is necessary.
Determining your time-sharing schedule can be complicated as numerous issues and questions may arise. Discussing these numerous issues with your Phoenix divorce attorney can help navigate common pitfalls and give you a better idea about what time-sharing schedule will work best for your family.
