If you and your spouse have agreed that you will split custody of your children, you are going to have to sit down and work out a schedule. Normally, the best way to do this is to arrange a meeting time where you, your ex-spouse, and both parties’ attorneys can be present. That way, you can have the optimal amount of input as you go through your case and determine what will work best for your children and your schedule. In some divorces, the court will demand that you and your spouse receive exactly equal time with the kids. In other divorces, the time may be split to favor one parent over the other, though the agreement is still considered joint custody. You will need to wait to obtain a custody order for the court before you set up a time to discuss the different ways that you can accomplish time sharing.

Once you have been given a ruling for joint custody, it’s time to explore options. One method that many parents use is the week on, week off method of time sharing. Essentially, this means that one parent gets the children one week and then transfers them to the other parent the next week. In order to make this work the parents normally must live close together. This is so that the children can still attend school faithfully. Both parents will want to make their houses a home for the children by buying them a full wardrobe, bed set, and other home amenities so that they don’t have to pack up all of their belongings every weekend.

If you choose this method, the court will still make sure that you do not hog all holidays. The pattern may break when it is one parent’s turn to have the children for Christmas Day or Halloween. You will want to work through the holidays with your attorneys and create a detailed schedule that outlines when one parent has the children on these special days. You will also want to discuss birthdays and include them in this schedule. You may also want to factor in who will have the children during their vacations and breaks from school.

Instead of a week on, week off arrangement, you may prefer a 3-4 split. In this arrangement, on parent has the children for the weekend, and another parent gets the children during the weekdays. This works out better if one parent lives a ways away from the children’s school, or if the children would benefit greater from seeing the parents more frequently. The days that the parents choose for a 3-4 split are up to them. For example, if one parent wants the kids Wednesday through Friday and the other parent takes Saturday through Tuesday, this is permissible. Again, parents will want to negotiate how this works with holidays and vacations, and may want to alter the pattern if their work schedule changes.

Another option is a 2-2-3 split. This is a division where a parent has the child for the first two days of the week, and then trades the child to the other parent for the next two days. Then, the first parent gets to keep the children for the last three days of the week. Normally, the pattern alternates so that both parents still get equal time with the children. While this can be practical, it can also be a difficult and hectic schedule to keep up. It does not offer the same stability to the children that other options offer. The last possibility for joint custody is a split day agreement. In this type of agreement, one parent will typically get the child for the first half of the day, and the other parent will get the child for the second half of the day.

Normally, this works best when both parents work but one has a night shift while the other has a day shift. For example, a mother with a day shift may allow the child to spend the night at her home every night, and take that child to school in the morning. The father will then pick the child up from school and keep him with him until he heads to work at night. This option drastically reduces child care costs, and can be convenient for some parents. It is usually a better arrangement when regarding a young child. If you need help choosing a joint custody plan that is best for you and your children, talk to a family law attorney near you today!