While parents may agree to share parenting time 50/50, there are a myriad ways to structure the schedule to meet your and your children’s needs. Younger children need shorter but more frequent time with each parent (switching, for instance, every 2-3 days), while it may be easier for older children to change less often, perhaps spending a week with each parent.
Having a predictable and structured schedule helps everyone manage their expectations, but it is also a good idea to try it and see how it works. Remember that children have different reactions to transitions!
Parents who share time equally must live close enough to each other that both can get the child back and forth to school.
Here are a few examples of parenting schedules that you might consider:
- One week with each parent, changing on Saturdays, but Tuesday evening (dinner or overnight) with the other parent.
- Monday and Tuesday with one parent, Wednesday and Thursday with the other, alternating weekends.
- Sunday to Tuesday night with one parent, Wednesday to Friday night with the other, alternating Saturdays.
- Alternating every 2 nights. (For this one, you have to block it out in advance because you won’t have the children on the same night each week.
Of course, there are many other considerations that must go into creating a good parenting plan, but these are a few creative examples.