No matter how amicable a divorce is, the emotional and mental toll, especially on children, often takes some time to recover from. While divorced parents in Texas typically work tirelessly to ensure that their children are in the best possible position to thrive following the divorce, some widely accepted options may not be as beneficial as they seem. For instance, there are some drawbacks to the alternating weeks schedule that many divorced parents choose for their children.
Age considerations
When you put together a coparenting plan with your ex, it’s important that you keep your child’s safety and happiness at the forefront. While alternating weeks is a great option for children 12 and older, it’s not such a good idea for children younger than 12. Younger children face more difficulties when trying to normalize these sudden changes, and going seven days at a time without seeing one of their parents is traumatic.
Juggling schedules
One of the harshest realities that parents must face after a divorce involves potential changes in their own work schedules. If one of the spouses wasn’t working before the divorce, they likely must find employment in order to survive after the divorce. Being the only parent present in the life of your child for seven days at a time can complicate work schedules.
Nasty divorces
Finally, the terms of your divorce may complicate the viability of splitting time with your ex every other week. Unlike some other child custody options, this model requires a lot of daily communication between the parents as each parent wants to stay in touch with the children. If the divorce took a nasty turn, this increased communication often heightens tensions even more.
There are several other ways to split time evenly with your ex. Instead of automatically choosing a schedule in which you alternate weeks, work together to formulate a plan that puts your child’s needs first.