Avoiding The Potential Pitfalls of a Shared Child Visitation Agreement

While some divorces can turn nasty and drag entire families through the wringer, most parents keep their children’s happiness in mind. This usually means working out a joint custody agreement. This way, your child doesn’t feel like they’re losing a parent. 

You can even find some great examples of shared custody visitation schedules that can make it easier to create an arrangement that more or less works for everyone. While joint custody is generally preferred by the court, you can run into a few pitfalls. Avoiding any potential pitfalls can make everything easier for your family.

Why Go With a Shared Child Visitation Schedule

Divorces can bring out the worst in people. You may be wondering why in the world you want to share custody with your former spouse. This just means they’re still a large presence in your life, even after the divorce is finalized. Since you share a child or children, you and your former partner are pretty much connected for life. This generally applies regardless of the type of custody arrangement. Even if you have sole legal and physical custody, the other parent is still a part of your shared child’s life.

Now that you’ve gotten a grip on the fact your former spouse is still going to be in your life, it’s time to think about your child’s best interests. This usually means working out a shared child visitation agreement. Numerous studies are showing how important it is for a child to have access to both of their parents.

Children with both parents present tend to feel more emotionally secure. This can make it easier for children to handle life’s disappointments. Children typically have a higher sense of self-esteem and do a little better in school. Even your child’s financial security later in life can be impacted by the presence of their parents. Okay, you’ve decided shared child visitation is best for your family. Now, all that’s left is making sure you’re avoiding any potential pitfalls.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid in a Shared Parenting Plan

No shared parenting plan is 100% perfect. All you can do is create one that’s ideal for your family. Your co-parenting plan probably isn’t going to be precisely the same as someone else. This is perfectly okay and it’s also expected. Your family’s life is unique and this means so is your visitation schedule. However, pretty much all shared parenting plans can run into some of the same pitfalls.

Forgetting to Include Geographical Restrictions

Living under the same roof means everyone moves together as a family. If one parent’s job transfers them to a new city, everyone goes along. Things are a little different after a divorce. Now both parents are living at different addresses. When one parent moves down the block or even across town, no problem. Sure, a move across town means a longer drive to the designated pick-up and drop-off location but it’s not a big deal.

On the other hand, things are a little different when a parent moves to another city or state. Instead of an annoying drive to the other side of town, you’re talking about what’s essentially a road trip. While fun in your younger days, road trips with children aren’t always pleasant. Not to mention the time you’re spending in your vehicle getting to your former spouse’s new address. Between gas prices and the wear on your vehicle, child custody exchanges can get expensive.

We haven’t even gotten to the most crucial point. Your child is spending time far away from you. What happens if an emergency pops up? You’re possibly hundreds of miles away. Not only do you need to coordinate emergency care but the logistics are getting annoying.

Placing geographical restrictions in a shared parenting plan simply makes sense. You’re not restricting your former partner’s ability to relocate, only indicating changes will be necessary to the custody agreement. What these changes are depends on your unique situation. Instead of a 50/50 custody agreement, you may need to switch to something like one week on and off or even switch to partial custody.

Didn’t Designate a School District

Shared child visitation typically means spending about the same amount of time at each parent’s home. When both divorced parents live in the same school district, this is rarely a potential pitfall. Even with this being said, it’s still a good idea to designate a school in the shared custody agreement. When both parents live in different school districts things can get a little complicated.

You can’t enroll your child in both schools. Yep, it’s illegal and extremely disruptive for your child. You and your former spouse are going to need to designate the school your child is going to attend. If you have sole legal custody, this isn’t a problem. You have the final word on where your child attends school. With joint legal custody, you both have an equal say.

Now that those little details are cleared up, sit down with your child’s other parent and decide once and for all which school your child’s going to attend.

Your Shared Parenting Schedule Ignores Extracurricular Activities

After school activities aren’t just for high schoolers. Even grade school students can get involved in extracurricular activities. As a parent, participation is something you should actively encourage. These activities can help build self-esteem, reduce stress, and even improve your child’s academic grades.

Something that some people may not immediately pay attention too in shared child visitation agreements is the child’s extracurricular activities because  as beneficial as they are, after-school clubs can also take away from a parent’s allotted time with their child. Don’t forget, there’s also the question of who’s responsible for getting the child to and from the activities. These are all things that should be addressed in your co-parenting plan.

Eliminating Potential Issues Before They Turn Into Problems

Even the best shared co-parenting plan probably isn’t going to be able to address every potential issue. Life is full of surprises and they can impact even a well-thought-out visitation schedule. Along with trying to avoid common pitfalls, remember to stay flexible. Sometimes, a little flexibility is all that’s needed to keep your co-parenting journey relatively pleasant.

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