Should you give your child a choice of custody arrangements?

by | Oct 3, 2019 | Child Custody And Visitation

As parents, you want to do what is right by your child. You have both talked things over and because your schedules are similar and you live near each other, you think it might be healthy for your child to help put together the custody schedule.

Remember that this could be a tricky situation. In a lot of cases, a child won’t want to take sides and could feel that this is almost like a trick where you’re looking for them to make a mistake. However, on the flip side, it is a good learning experience and does give your child some control over the visitation schedule.

Should you let your child decide on the custody schedule?

Everyone’s situation is going to be unique, so there is no correct answer. However, a good option is to give your child a choice out of schedules that you’ve already decided would work. For example, if you and your ex-spouse agree that a schedule where you switch custody each weekend, every four days or every other weekend would work, then you could talk to your child and see which one they would prefer. Some children will want to spend time with both parents and choose a schedule with more frequent transitions, while others like stability and may choose to stay at one home for longer before staying with the other parent.

The best-case scenario is that you and your ex-spouse are able to come up with a few options for your child. If you cannot or have many responsibilities at work and home, you may need to sit down with your child and explain why the schedule that you’ve chosen is the only one that will work right now.

*The above is not meant to be legal advice, and every case is different. Feel free to reach out to us at Hoover Krepelka, LLP, if you have any questions. Information contained in this content and website should not be relied on as legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice on your specific situation. 

Visiting this site or relying on information gleaned from the site does not create an attorney-client relationship. The content on this website is the property of Hoover Krepelka, LLP and may not be used without the written consent thereof.

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