Most Delaware courts will take the child’s best interests into consideration when assigning custody and visitation arrangements during the divorce. Sometimes, what seems ideal on paper isn’t the best option for the child in the long-run. For this reason, visitation arrangements might need modifications after the initial divorce. This can be due to the parents being unable to comfortably meet these arrangements or because the arrangements are causing undo stress on the child.
What’s all taken into consideration when making visitation arrangements?
Most parents want to be as involved with their child’s life as possible regardless of who gets full custody. Visitation arrangements might look very different depending on:
– Who has full custody
– The jobs of each parent
– The child’s health needs
– The child’s school needs
– The living environments of each parent
What if custody is shared 50/50?
A 50/50 parenting plan gives both parents equal rights to visitation and decision-making for their child. Sometimes, the parents will alternate weeks where the child lives at one parent’s house for the week and then switches to the other parent’s house for the next week.
This type of visitation usually only works when the parents live close to each other and are on good terms. If the parents aren’t on good terms, this can be asking a lot of both the parents and the child. More than that, the child goes a week without seeing one of their parents. It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it can be intense for younger kids.
Other arrangements
Instead of switching off every week, some parents choose to keep their children for two to four days and then have the other parent keep them for two to four days. This allows the child to get truly equal time with both parents throughout the week.
Many 50/50 custody arrangements require that the parents be on decent terms as they’ll be seeing a lot of each other. If a true 50/50 schedule doesn’t work out, parents can look into a 60/40 schedule and talk with their lawyers to see what other options are worth exploring.
