When New Jersey parents decide to separate or get a divorce, dealing with child custody and visitation can be difficult. In some cases, both parents work or may even need to move farther away from each other. As the children get older, visitation could become even more difficult due to school activities and emerging social lives. As such, creating a visitation schedule that meets everyone’s needs is essential.
One common child custody schedule is the alternating weekends routine. The children live primarily with one parent and spend every other weekend with the other parent. This often works well for noncustodial parents who work long hours. If the families live near each other, noncustodial parents may also get one weeknight every week, allowing them to spend more time with their children. Another alternative is to extend the alternating weekend visits through Monday. Yet another option for some noncustodial parents is to get the kids overnight during the week while keeping the alternating weekends.
While many of these custody schedules work for some parents, they may not work for others. Some parents have unusual schedules. If the two parents can still work together amicably, custody schedules can get more creative. For example, noncustodial parents may take the kids after school on some days but hand the kids over at night.
When parents can reach an agreement about child custody and visitation schedules, post-divorce life will probably be much easier. If they cannot work together, however, a family law attorney could represent a parent during the custody trial. When the court is determining child custody, the attorney may advocate for the client and the best interests of the children involved.