Once an Oak Hill judge has signed off on your child custody agreement, they would prefer not to hear from you again. They hope that you, as parents, will be able to work minor issues out between you.
You should generally aim to stick to the custody agreement you draw up, especially if there are problems between you. If you veer from the agreed routine, a bitter co-parent could try to use that against you. Yet, sometimes there are valid reasons to deviate.
Sometimes you need to adjust parenting schedules to benefit your child
Remember the overall goal in custody agreements, and as parents should be to do the best for your child. Here are two times sticking rigidly to the plan would not be in the best interests of your child:
- One of you is ill: Taking care of a child can be hard enough when you feel at your best. When you become sick, you may not have the energy. If you help your co-parent by taking your child when they are ill, they are more likely to do the same for you. It means your child will get a better quality of care.
- One of you needs to travel: If your co-parent wants to travel away from Aldie with friends for a few days, then why not cover for them if you can? If they come back refreshed, your child will benefit. The same goes for business trips. If refusing to cover prevents them from traveling, it may affect their career and income, leaving less money to spend on your child.
Co-parenting requires cooperation. Creating a parenting plan can provide a solid basis for that, yet there may still be occasions when you need to return to court for approval. Understanding what you can handle yourselves and what requires a court’s permission is crucial to avoiding unnecessary problems.