Scheduling Joint Custody Time Splits
Some child custody arrangements assign shared custody to both parents. In some cases, this means both parents have exactly equal time with the child. In other cases, the split is less than equal. Parents can choose from many different custody schedules when the court orders that the two parties share custody of the child.
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Week On, Week Off
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Typical when older children are involved, parents may choose the week on, week off schedule. This schedule means that each parent takes the child for one week and then the other parent has the child for a week. Holidays are usually split, which would take precedence over the typical schedule. For vacations, each parent is usually granted a specific number of uninterrupted weeks in which to take vacation with the child. The day of the week in which the exchange takes place can vary depending on what works best for both parents. Some parents give one visitation day in the middle of their week to the other parent.
3-4 Split
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If the parents feel that the child would benefit more from seeing each of them more frequently, a 3-4 split may work best. In this case, one parent would have the child three days in a row and the other parent would have the child the other four days. The days that the parents choose is an individual decision. For instance, if each parent would like to have a weekend day, one parent can have the child Sunday through Tuesday and the other parent can have Wednesday through Saturday. If one parent's job has him off on Wednesdays and Thursdays instead of a typical weekend, the parents could choose a schedule around that.
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2-2-3 split
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While this schedule does not offer the same stability as other options, some parents find the 2-2-3 split to be more fair. The first week, one parent has the child for the first two days. The other parent then gets the child for the next two days. Finally, the first parent has the child for the last three days for the extended weekend. The next week, the roles switch with the second parent having the first two days and the last three and the first parent having the middle two days.
Split Days
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When the two parents work opposite shifts, splitting the days not only allows both parents to be a regular part of the child's lives, but also reduces or eliminates daycare costs. For instance, if the mother works first shift and the father works second shift, the father gets the child during the day and the mother gets the child in the evenings and overnight. The parents can also alternate weekends and holidays, just like a typical schedule.
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