Divorce is not something that children usually understand, especially when their parents have been together for most of the time the child has been alive. Whenever two people decide to end their marriage or relationship, when there is a child involved, finding a way to make the transition easier for the child is always a good idea. Although parents may be reluctant when it comes to allowing the child to spend time with his or her other parent, it is something that they may want to consider because the child may suffer should they not see their other parent regularly.
Here are a few reasons why children should spend an equal amount of time with both parents.
- The child may start to favor one parent over the other because of the amount of time they are spending together.
- The child’s relationship with one parent may suffer if they don’t spend enough time together.
- The child may start to act out and rebel because they miss their other parent.
As a child grows and starts to go to school and participate in extracurricular activities, it may be difficult for parents to split their time equally. When a child is young, parents may not have a school schedule that they have to adhere to, so the child can see their parents based on the parent’s schedules. This means that they can spend half of the week with one parent and the other half with the other parent.
Parents do not have to agree with this schedule, but it is something they should at least consider when they are thinking of an arrangement that will make their child happy. Of course, when the child gets to be about four or five years old, this schedule will usually change, but in the meantime, they should give the child the chance to develop a strong, healthy relationship with both parents. Parents who are trying to work out a visitation schedule or child custody agreement may benefit from the assistance of an attorney from the Law Office of Michael D. Tracton.