The key that can make or break joint child custody is the child visitation schedule.
With a good visitation schedule, the pick up and drop off times go as scheduled and both parents know what is going on.
If there isn't a good visitation schedule, parents are confused and get frustrated and the children feel the stress of the situation.
A good visitation schedule allows things to go more smoothly.
Here are some suggestions for creating a good visitation schedule that can help you with your joint child custody.
The first thing that a visitation schedule needs is the basic rotating schedule.
There are many alternatives for this schedule and you should find one that works for you.
You can alternate weeks, alternate weekends with one visitation day during the week, alternate weeks and weekends, etc.
Find the schedule that allows you to divide up the time like you want, and then go through a calendar and mark this schedule for the year.
You may want to invest in a child agreement software that can create your schedule.
These programs allow you to look at different scenarios and it applies the schedule to a calendar for as many years as you want to see.
Once you have your basic schedule set in, decide on the holidays.
Go through and divide the holidays evenly and fairly.
This means that both parents get the same amount of big and little holidays.
While you are figuring this out, you probably want to include any school holidays.
Will the visitation schedule change during those times? Decide if you want it to.
Mark in the holidays that both parents have, and include the drop off and pick up times.
Also include if the holiday visitation time extends for a few days or if the day of the holiday is split between the parents.
You'll also want to make a list of all the holidays (along with putting them on the calendar) so you have the reference.
This will be handy when you create the next year's calendar because you can just switch the holidays to the other parent.
Once the holidays are decided, you need to go through and add in one time or recurring events when the schedule changes.
Perhaps the schedule will change during little league season when you take the kids to baseball.
Or maybe both parents will attend the games.
A lot of parents change the schedule during summer, Christmas, and spring break as well.
Do what is best for your situation.
If you can put all of this on a calendar and give the children's other parent a copy of the calendar, you'll find that your joint child custody situation runs much more smoothly.
Once you have everything decided, you no longer have to stress and worry about pick up times and what day you have the children.
Instead, you can relax and enjoy your time as a parent--which is the ultimate goal of a joint child custody.