Divorce is not easy, especially if children are involved. There is another layer to the legal process when you share children with your spouse. One of the requirements of divorce with children is a timesharing or visitation agreement. Keep these tips in mind when creating this vital divorce document.
Consider a Realistic Schedule
Before setting out on creating a visitation schedule, you need to think about what is realistic. If you work a night job, it is unrealistic to believe you can switch to days quickly. Thus, creating a schedule where your children stay overnight during your workweek is not feasible. While you may want to have your children at this time, creating a schedule that is not feasible will only set the entire situation up for failure. You want to create something that you can stick to with few exceptions. You also need to consider how your children will get to school and back if you live outside the designated school boundaries.
Put the Children First
Regardless of how or why your marriage ended, your children do not deserve to suffer. You may be angry at your spouse, but using the children as a tool to get back at them is unacceptable as a parent and in the eyes of the court. You must do your best to always put your children’s needs and best interests above your own. When parents cannot come to an arrangement, the court will intervene and decide for you. A judge always holds the best interests of the children above all else. This means that the court will try and ensure that the child has a meaningful relationship with both parents unless there is a reason why one is not fit. Before reaching a judge’s bench, you want to try to negotiate from this same mindset.
Be Willing to Compromise
Many aspects of marriage require compromise, and divorce is the same way. While there are many black and white rules, like property division, there are some things that may vary based on the couple. You may have an ideal visitation arrangement in your head that does not work in practice. Instead of resisting a change to this ideal, you need to consider compromise. A failure to reach an amicable solution will result in your choices being taken away by a judge. This should only be a last resort.
Creating a viable time sharing agreement may be accomplished with the help of a divorce attorney. Consider speaking to someone today for guidance.