One of the first questions parents facing a custody battle asks is “what parenting time schedule should we follow?” The answer is: it depends! Even if you know that you want the schedule to be equal, there are plenty of other factors to consider. Before recommending a parenting time schedule a family law attorney may consider the following factors:
- How old are the children?
- How long of a stretch are the parties willing to be away from the children?
- How far apart do the parties live?
- What are the parties’ schedules like?
- How important is consistency to you and your children?
These are all factors child custody attorneys want to fully understand before giving advice as to what parenting time schedule might work best for you. Once we fully understand your needs we can begin discussing a specific schedule for you, such as one of the following:
Alternating Weekly
An alternating weekly schedule (also known as a week on/week off schedule) is just as it sounds. The parties alternate parenting time weekly, with parent 1 having one week and parent 2 having the following week. Parties can pick which day exchanges occur based on what makes the most sense for them. This schedule may be preferred because it is consistent and easy to keep track of. However, parties with young children tend to avoid this schedule because a week can be a long time for a parent to go without seeing their children and it may not be developmentally appropriate for young children to be separated from a parent for seven days at a time. In contrast, this tends to be a preferred schedule for parties with older teenage children or parties who live further apart who would prefer not to deal with too many transitions throughout the week.
5-2-2-5
The 5-2-2-5 schedule (also known as a 2-2-5-5 schedule or 5-5-2-2 schedule) is one of the most popular equal parenting time schedules that parents choose and is also a popular schedule that the Court may order. A 5-2-2-5 schedule is an equal parenting time schedule arranged so that one parent has every Monday and Tuesday, the other parent has every Wednesday and Thursday, and the parties alternate Friday through Sunday. As shown in the chart above, this results in neither party being away from the children for longer than a five-day period. This schedule is preferred because it provides consistency for parties and children. It’s a fixed schedule, meaning that it’s easy to look at the calendar and figure out when your parenting time might be on any given day. This schedule also ensures that the parties equally share weekend parenting time, so no parent is deemed the “fun parent” by having every weekend.
4-3-3-4
The 4-3-3-4 schedule (also known as the 4-4-3-3 schedule or 3-3-4-4 schedule) is another equal parenting time schedule. This is also a good option for parties with young children who want to ensure that neither party is away from the children for too long. Parties who choose this schedule like the customizability of it, because the exchange day can be any day of the week. However, parties tend to avoid this schedule because it results in one parent having every weekend and the other parent having no weekends or, if the exchange day is during the weekend, then neither party has a full weekend with the children. Parents often prefer that they equal share weekday and weekend parenting time so that neither parent fully shoulders the burden of being the “fun” parent or the “school” parent.
2-2-3
The 2-2-3 schedule is yet another example of an equal parenting time schedule. It’s preferred by parties with young children who aren’t comfortable being away from their child for longer than three days. This schedule is customizable like the 4-3-3-4 schedule, but parents and children may find it frustrating in the long term because it is not easy to keep track of which parent has which day without a detailed calendar. Unlike a 5-2-2-5 or 4-3-3-4 where each parent is guaranteed certain days every week, the schedule is fully inverted every week. However, unlike the 4-3-3-4, this schedule does ensure that the parties are able to fully alternate weekends.
Unequal Parenting Time Schedules
So far, we have reviewed a few standard equal parenting time schedules. However, an equal parenting time schedule is not always what’s in the children’s best interest due to the parties’ schedules, the distance between the parties, etc. In this case, the parties may opt for an unequal parenting schedule such as a parent having every other weekend or every weekend. The parent with less parenting time might then want to exercise a dinner visit during the week to ensure they’re still seeing and spending time with the children.
Although this guide covers some standard schedules, ultimately, you can be creative when choosing a parenting time schedule that works best for you and your family. However, before agreeing to a schedule, it’s best to discuss it with a family law attorney first. You know your family’s needs best, but our family law attorneys have years of experience and will be able to identify potential issues with your schedule that you may not have considered, saving you time and energy down the road modifying parenting when these issues arise.