Time passes quickly when you share special moments with your child. But time spent with your child during divorce feels even more beyond your control.
Unlike other states, physical custody or visitation in Arizona is known as “parenting time.” It is the quality time you and your ex spend with your child as part of your parental responsibilities. Similarly, the state’s legal custody goes differently as “legal decision-making.” This custodial function addresses your child’s medical, educational, religious and other welfare concerns.
Planning parenting time involves a constant give and take between you and your ex. Thus, it helps to know what you should not do when plotting a schedule.
Spending time with your child wisely
The only consideration in your parenting time must be your child’s best interests. You and your child’s other parent must be willing to make compromises to meet your child’s needs.
As you work on fulfilling your parental obligations, you must remember not to commit the following mistakes in your parenting time arrangements:
- Overlooking logistical considerations: Transportation to and from each parental household may be too tiring for your child. They probably won’t have enough energy to enjoy talking or playing with you. It might be more practical if there are fewer days but longer hours allotted for each parent to maximize travel hours.
- Shutting down communication channels: While keeping your ex in the dark when you have disagreements is tempting, you should avoid this habit. Having open lines of communication is critical in keeping yourself updated about your child.
- Putting your conveniences first: Calculating who is sacrificing more will only cause unnecessary tension. At this point, you must focus on consciously and consistently making efforts toward building a stable environment for your child.
Aside from responsibly implementing the terms, you must also be wary of changes that could impact the parenting time structure. For instance, holidays, special occasions and unforeseen emergencies necessitate some room for flexibility. Additionally, you must remember how your child’s demands continuously evolve as they age.
Ultimately, substantial and continuing circumstances, like relocation or domestic abuse, may warrant parenting time modifications.
Finding the balance
Planning parenting time can make or break your relationship with your child. Making well-informed decisions proves critical now more than ever. A committed representative can help you balance your time caring for your child and yourself.