In a divorce that involves children, parents often have to organize child custody arrangements. Custody arrangements can determine each parent’s time they spend with their children and their responsibilities, such as their duty to provide their children with food, shelter and clothing.
One of the difficulties with organizing custody arrangements is that parents often have to make changes to the arrangements over time. How can parents make a child custody arrangement that lasts for a long time? Here is what you should know:
1. Where does each parent live?
One of the considerations parents may need to consider when discussing a custody arrangement is where each parent currently lives. The distance between parents can help decide how often each parent has their children in custody. For example, parents who live close to each other may rotate custody regularly. However, parents who live far away from each other may decide to have longer custody times to reduce the amount of time they travel.
2. When and where will a child go to school?
Custody arrangements may work around a child’s education. Parents may need to consider whether their children will go to private, public or homeschool. Each parent’s responsibility and custody time could depend on the kind of education they want or can afford for their children.
3. Does a parent have any health issues?
A parent’s health could severely affect future custody arrangements. If a parent has a health condition that is expected to worsen in the future, parents may need to discuss what could mean for the terms of a custody arrangement.
Legal guidance can help parents make a flexible custody arrangement that grows with their children and requires few changes in the future.