Parenting Time and Divorce

When parents get divorced it’s importantto put stability back into a child’s life, and one way to make this happen is to establish parenting time.

Parenting time can be defined as the amount of overnight stays that each parent has with the child or children resulting from a divorce or paternity action. Based on the Child Custody Act, the same factors for child custody are also looked at for parenting time in the eyes of the court. Parenting time can be scheduled in different ways. One parent may have the child or children a majority of the time while the other has a specific schedule that dictates when they see the children, like on alternating weekends, certain days during the week, and on certain holidays. Time can be set up for school breaks, the summer, or equal amounts of scheduled time can be worked out by agreement set through the court. Children’s ages need to be taken into consideration. A younger child has different needs than a teenager who may wish to spend more time with friends.

Regardless, parenting time is essential to the well-being of children and should not be neglected. If you are considering divorce, take the time to contact a family law attorney who can help you work out a parenting time arrangment that best serves the needs of you and your children.