It’s not uncommon for parents to be awarded shared custody in Ogden. It’s also not uncommon for those same parents to struggle with shared custody. This is a difficult situation to get accustomed to for parents and children alike. You will be splitting time between two homes during the week, on weekends, on holidays, and for vacations. There’s a lot that can go wrong, making the situation overwhelming for the children. To combat this, our Ogden child custody attorney offers the following five tips to make shared custody a success.
Be Realistic with Your Schedule
When the time comes to create a parenting schedule you need to be as realistic as possible. Don’t shoot for the stars when creating the schedule. The more you promise, the more difficult it will be to keep those promises. You don’t want to disappoint your children by missing their games, activities, plays, and other events because you have spread yourself too thin. Take a good look at your work schedule and take it into account when creating a parenting schedule for your shared custody agreement.
Refrain from Creating a Middle Man
The worst thing you can do for your children and the shared custody agreement is to turn your children into middlemen. A child should never have to relay messages between parents who refuse to talk with each other. Putting children in the middle of your arguments will only cause them pain and stress. The two of you need to find a form of communication that works best for both of you so the children are not put in the middle.
Review the Agreement Periodically
It’s a good idea to review the child custody agreement periodically. This will help you determine if it needs to be updated for any reason. For example, maybe you started a new job with different hours than what you had when the agreement was created. The agreement should be changed to reflect your new work hours. The same can be said for the other parent. It might also be time to make changes depending on the age of your children.
Speak No Evil
Refrain from speaking poorly about the other parent. Saying inappropriate things about the other parent to your children will only create a hostile environment for everyone. Children are very impressionable and some will do anything to feel accepted or loved. That’s why you should never speak ill about the other parent. The child might believe everything you are saying, which could damage their relationship with the other parent beyond repair. Even if what you are saying isn’t true, the child doesn’t know how to differentiate between what is true and what is fabricated.
Agree on Exchange Times and Locations
One of the best ways you can make shared custody a success is by agreeing on the exchange times and locations and sticking to that agreement. When you routinely use the same location and drop off times for the exchange of custody you will notice how easy having shared custody can be in Ogden.
Are you trying to obtain shared custody of your children? Be sure to call Emy A. Cordano, Attorney at Law in Ogden at (801) 901-8159 to schedule a consultation.