When you work a demanding job, whether you’re an executive, a medical professional or an engineer, you may have to put in long hours in order to advance in your career. Many professionals may work 60 or more hours a week at their job, as well as needing to respond to calls and emails when they aren’t at work and possibly needing to travel regularly as part of their profession.
When you need to be able to leave everything and head to work at a moment’s notice, travel or stay at work until the sun goes down, the idea of sharing custody of your children can become concerning. After all, when it’s your custody time, you have obligations to your children that you can’t just ignore.
There are certain considerations that you may want to integrate into your parenting plan if you are a successful professional hoping to co-parent during and after a divorce.
Be realistic about how much time you can invest
Before you start negotiating for terms with your ex, you need to take a good look at your current circumstances to determine what kind of availability you will have for your kids. Will it ever be possible for you to be the one who picks the children up from school if they get sick or in trouble halfway through the day? Can you commit to weekends, or will impromptu travel obligations interrupt specific parenting schedules?
If you have a job that you cannot reasonably step away from during the day, your ex may need to retain custody most of the time so that they will be the one that the school calls in the event of an emergency.
Work and special terms requiring flexibility and makeup time
If you know that your job will inevitably result in needing to cancel time with your children at the last minute, you want to do your best to work with your ex so that they are flexible.
Including flexibility and the ability to reschedule missed time when work obligations affect your plans will protect your access to your children in a divorce, which is in their best interests.
Is it possible for you to adjust how you approach your job?
Quite a few Americans have recently come to realize that they could perform at least some of their work functions remotely. If you could potentially do some of your work from home, you might be able to make arrangements with your employer that will make you more accessible and available to your children during the week, thereby allowing for a more even split of custody time.
No matter how demanding your job is, you want to be present and available to your children as a parent who loves them. Considering your career demands as you create a custody agreement will help you be the best parent possible and ensure your children have adequate support during this difficult time in their lives.
