West Palm Beach Timesharing Attorney
Creating a timesharing and parenting plan is one of the most difficult aspects of divorce or separation. While division of bank accounts or the family home are often heated, asset division is about material objects; custody and the creation of a timesharing plan regarding your children are not, and this can lead to conflict. Whether you and your child’s other parent are on agreeable terms or not, it is highly advisable that you consult with an experienced West Palm Beach timesharing attorney to discuss the creation of a binding timesharing plan, as all timesharing plans require certain characteristics in order to be useful, as well as upheld in court. Our West Palm Beach timesharing attorneys at Bruce S. Rosenwater & Associates, P.A. have assisted countless parents draft and negotiate timesharing plans to meet their and their children’s needs.
What is a Parenting Plan?
A parenting plan is the overarching legal document that provides specific, written instructions and guidelines about how the parents will cooperate, coordinate, make legal decisions about their child, and raise their child. It is essentially a document that describes the parental responsibilities of each parent. Generally included in a parenting plan is a timesharing plan or timesharing schedule.
What is a Timesharing Plan / Schedule?
A timesharing plan is a detailed schedule that provides specifics about:
- Drop off times;
- How holidays are divided;
- On what days or weeks the child lives with each parent; and
- More.
When creating a timesharing plan, it is crucial to think about how the plan will minimize conflict, create stability for your child, and maximize the relationship between each parent and the child. As such, the goal of a timesharing plan is not to fit the child’s life around one or both of the parent’s work schedule or social life.
Examples of Common Timesharing Plans
Elements of a successful timesharing plan often include the following:
- Visual calendar;
- Specific times on specific dates;
- Clearly written; and
- Exceptions made for summer and holidays.
Depending on your parenting plan or parenting responsibilities, the timesharing plan for equal joint physical custody with the child will be:
- 7/7—One week (seven days) with one parent and one week with the other;
- 2/2/5/5—Two days with parent A, two with parent B, five with parent A, five with parent B; or
- 3/4/4/3—Three days with parent A, four days with parent B, four days with parent A, three days with parent B, etc.;
For joint custody that is unequal (one parent has more physical custody than the other), common timesharing plans are set up as:
- 5/2—The child spends the weekdays with parent A and weekends with parent B; or
- 13/2—The child spends a full week plus the following weekday with parent A, and the weekend with parent B. The child spends every other weekend with parent B in this case.
Call Our West Palm Beach Timesharing Attorneys
While timesharing plans can be altered in the future, it is important to get them right the first time around to minimize conflict, help your child adjust, and set the new parenting plan off on the right foot. For professional legal assistance, call Bruce S. Rosenwater & Associates, P.A. today at 561-688-0991 to schedule a free consultation.
