The benefits of spending time with your child are plenty and obvious. Spending time with your child, even if you are not the primary caregiver, can help them develop healthy relationships with you and others in their life, it can help them know how to ask for help when they need it and can teach them that while some relationships aren’t made to last, the parent-child relationship is forever.
During and even after a divorce, it can be hard to spend time with your child if the other parent is not acting in good faith and following the parenting plan. Or, relationships can be strained if the other parent is not working hard enough to facilitate your residential time. In order to ensure you have the most opportunities possible to spend time with your child, make it clear from the beginning of the divorce that you are motivated to make a 50/50 residential time schedule work.
An equally shared residential schedule is what is best for your child and their normal development. It is also the best arrangement financially, as it more evenly balances the financial obligations of parenthood between both parents. Child support is based partly off of residential time so when one parent has the child for the majority of the nights in any given month, that parent requires child support.
Your timesharing or residential schedule, as laid out in your parenting plan, will set forth the times and days when you will have residential time with your child. Think twice before you move out when you separate. Moving out can suggest you do not want a significant amount of residential time.
Similarly, make sure to remain flexible in working out a timesharing schedule. The goal here is to divide your child’s residential time evenly between you and your spouse and with work and school schedules; this can take some fine planning. Custody and residential time can be complex issues so seek out resources or speak with an attorney if you have any questions. It is worth it, however, to maintain a healthy relationship with your child and even the financial ramifications of caring for your child.
Are you in the Los Angeles County area and have questions about residential time and timesharing schedules? Attorney Mark H. Karney can help you work out a timesharing schedule that looks out for your’s and your child’s best interests. As a Certified Family Law Specialist, Mark H. Karney has experience handling complex and high-asset divorces in Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades and Beverley Hills areas. Contact our office at 310-622-9434; email us at intake@cfli.com or contact us through our online form to schedule a free consultation today.