A child custody agreement is the document that both parents agree on that outlines the terms of who the child will live with, when the child will visit the other parent and any other information about raising the children that the parents want included. Once a custody agreement has been decided, the parents can go to court and the court will adopt it into a court order. If an agreement can't be reached between the parents, the court will make the decisions about the agreement and then make it into the order.
Parents are usually better off if they can reach an agreement before going to court. This is because if both parents agree on the terms of custody and visitation they will be more likely to live by those terms. And, both parents will be happy with the results.
One of the most important things in the custody agreement is the custody and visitation schedule. Once parents have this figured out the rest is pretty easy. Here is the basic outline of how to figure out the schedule.
First, decide on how you will divide up custody and figure it out in terms of a rotating schedule. For example, if the parents decide they will split custody evenly figure out how that will be done. Maybe the parents will rotate weeks, or maybe only parent will have the children on weekdays and the other parent will have weekends and a few visits.
Come up with the schedule for custody and then map it out on a calendar. For example, say you come up with the outline that the child spends the weekdays with one parent and the weekends with the other. Block out the time on a calendar so you can see what it actually looks like.
The next step is to figure out the holiday and vacation schedule. Write out a list of the holidays and divide them between the parents. Make sure both parents have the same number of big and small holidays.
Then decide on the vacation time you want to allot to each parent. For example, you can include a clause that says each parent can take the children on vacation for two seven day periods in the year. Or you can actually specify dates when the parents will have vacation time.
It is helpful to write out the holidays and the division of custody in a table and then go through and add them in your calendar. You can also write in the dates of vacation if they are known, or put in your unspecified vacation. It's nice to have the information in two different formats.
The last things to add are the special events. You'll want to put in one time events, like a parent's or child's birthday, and any recurring special events, like baseball games during the season. Basically, special events are any times the custody situation may change because of other events going on. Put them on the calendar and write them out in a list.
All of this may seem time consuming and tedious--but it is worth it to get the custody agreement you want. You may want to investigate the various custody software programs available. There are some that let you create you custody and visitation schedule very easy. This can be helpful; especially if you need to create multiple schedules so you and the child's other parent can agree.
If you do all of this work it will be easier for you and the child's other parent to agree on custody and visitation. You can both work together to create and modify a schedule that works for you and that you're both happy with. Then you can be satisfied knowing the court will accept your agreement.
Parents are usually better off if they can reach an agreement before going to court. This is because if both parents agree on the terms of custody and visitation they will be more likely to live by those terms. And, both parents will be happy with the results.
One of the most important things in the custody agreement is the custody and visitation schedule. Once parents have this figured out the rest is pretty easy. Here is the basic outline of how to figure out the schedule.
First, decide on how you will divide up custody and figure it out in terms of a rotating schedule. For example, if the parents decide they will split custody evenly figure out how that will be done. Maybe the parents will rotate weeks, or maybe only parent will have the children on weekdays and the other parent will have weekends and a few visits.
Come up with the schedule for custody and then map it out on a calendar. For example, say you come up with the outline that the child spends the weekdays with one parent and the weekends with the other. Block out the time on a calendar so you can see what it actually looks like.
The next step is to figure out the holiday and vacation schedule. Write out a list of the holidays and divide them between the parents. Make sure both parents have the same number of big and small holidays.
Then decide on the vacation time you want to allot to each parent. For example, you can include a clause that says each parent can take the children on vacation for two seven day periods in the year. Or you can actually specify dates when the parents will have vacation time.
It is helpful to write out the holidays and the division of custody in a table and then go through and add them in your calendar. You can also write in the dates of vacation if they are known, or put in your unspecified vacation. It's nice to have the information in two different formats.
The last things to add are the special events. You'll want to put in one time events, like a parent's or child's birthday, and any recurring special events, like baseball games during the season. Basically, special events are any times the custody situation may change because of other events going on. Put them on the calendar and write them out in a list.
All of this may seem time consuming and tedious--but it is worth it to get the custody agreement you want. You may want to investigate the various custody software programs available. There are some that let you create you custody and visitation schedule very easy. This can be helpful; especially if you need to create multiple schedules so you and the child's other parent can agree.
If you do all of this work it will be easier for you and the child's other parent to agree on custody and visitation. You can both work together to create and modify a schedule that works for you and that you're both happy with. Then you can be satisfied knowing the court will accept your agreement.
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Learn more information about child custody agreements and find out how to create your personalized custody agreement with the software Custody X Change.
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