Child Custody Mediation: 4 Childhood Events & Activities That Can Impact Agreements
Figuring out a child custody agreement has a lot of different factors. Along with the parent's work schedules and a child's school schedules, there are many other factors in a child's life to consider. By breaking down different elements in a child's life, each parent can determine the best way to move forward with custody that also has the best interest of the child. Instead of going to court, you can work with a family law attorney through mediation sessions. During these sessions, you can bring up the following four child events and activities to consider for the custody agreement. By planning ahead, you can avoid any disputes or problems with your former spouse in the future.
Sports Leagues
Around 36 million children are involved in some type of organized sport each year. If your child is involved in one of these sports, then you know how hectic a schedule can be. When mixing these schedules with custody agreements, it's important to be aware of how the sport will impact sleepovers, visitations, and hours with the parent. Through a mediation session, you can figure out what days may impact sports the most and how the drop-off and pick-up schedule works out. Your involvement with the sport may have an impact as well. For example, if you coach your son's baseball team, it may be easier to take him back home to your house after a practice or game. If this is the case, then you can set up an agreement that gives you the nights when he has baseball. During the season, the actual days of the agreement may need to shift to help match schedules like this.
Child Lessons
Similar to sports are any lessons that your child may take. This includes instruments, physical lessons like karate, or artistic lessons like painting. If you're the one personally paying for the lessons, then you may want to attend or take your child to the lessons. For many of these lessons, you can simply agree to take the child if it falls on the specific day. If you feel like you losing time with your child because of the lessons, then you can try to arrange an alternating agreement where you switch out different lesson days. Figuring out all of this will help you avoid arguments in the future and eliminate the need for removing the lessons all together.
Local Organizations
Your son or daughter may be a part of a local organization group that meets each week. This can include the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, a church group, or another organization like the Young Marines. If this is the case, then there are group meetings to consider along with sleepover trips. Many of these organizations participate in camp outs and weekend trips that can impact custody agreements. For example, if your custody agreement only gives you the child on the weekends, you can have a lot of lost time when they are involved with these trips. You may be able to set up a Thursday and Friday agreement for the weekends when trips are involved. By making the schedule adjustments, you have the ability to see your child as much as possible.
School Events
A number of school activities can also impact custody agreements and visitation. Breaking down after school events and trips can make it easier to plan out things. For example, if you know future field trips for your child, then you can decide which parent gets a chance to chaperone. You can alternate trips or select trips that you have the most interest in. You can also schedule different after school activities your child may be in like homework clubs or drama clubs. By choosing a mix of club days and club-free days, you can have an even balance of time with your child.
A divorce is hard enough as it is. By breaking small things down, you can avoid big arguments in the future. Working with an attorney can also help keep things calm and civil as you go through mediation. Learn more information by speaking with a local divorce attorney.
