Texas parents who get a divorce can seek creative solutions for child custody arrangements that best suit them and their children. When one parent is the custodial parent and the other has visitation rights, one typical arrangement is for the noncustodial parent to have the child on alternate weekends from 6 p.m. on Friday to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
However, if the custodial parent is often away on weekends or the noncustodial parent simply wants more time with the child, this visit could be extended until Monday. Some parents also arrange for the child to go to the noncustodial parent on Wednesday evenings. This could be just for a couple of hours, or it could be another overnight visit.
Arranging child custody around weekends and weekdays may work for parents who have typical daytime jobs from Monday through Friday, but other parents might work swing shifts or have another unusual schedule. The noncustodial parent might have the child from Tuesday to Thursday while the other parent has the child the rest of the time, or the noncustodial parent might pick up the child from school several days per week. Parents may need to communicate more about pickups and drop offs, homework and the child’s extracurricular activities as they tackle more complicated schedules, but these flexible arrangements may ultimate benefit everyone.
One way parents can make this process less disruptive for the children is by creating a parenting plan that establishes consistent rules between each of their households. Parents should also make plans for holidays and vacations. This will help children in knowing ahead of time where they will be at these times and may also help prevent misunderstandings at the last minute.