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What Kinds of Joint Custody Models Are There?

Joint custody

Did you know that between 40% and 50% of married couples in the US end up getting a divorce? This is a common occurrence, which shows that it’s right for many people. However, if you have a family, the divorce process can have added complications such as joint custody.

If you’re currently going through a divorce, you’re probably curious about joint custody. You and your separated partner want to find an arrangement that works for you.

Divorce is already a difficult process. You want to make it go as smoothly as possible. One of your biggest worries is how the divorce will affect your child or children.

In addition to all the emotional stress you’re experiencing, your may feel stressed about these arrangements.

How can you ensure that, in this time of instability, your children feel stable and happy?

This guide on different kinds of joint custody models can help. Once you understand what a joint custody agreement is and how to plan yours, you’ll feel more at ease.

You can know that your children will be better off because of this arrangement. Read on to learn more.

What is Joint Custody?

Before we review the different types of joint custody models, I’ll answer the question, “What is joint custody?” Joint custody occurs when parents who don’t live in the same residence both choose to raise their children.

There are some details when it comes to joint custody, which we’ll review next.

Joint custody includes sharing custody, physical control, and decision-making responsibilities regarding their children. This does not only have to occur once you are divorced.

This can occur if you never lived together, are no longer living together, are separated, or are divorced.

Now that I’ve reviewed what joint custody is, I’ll review its legal definitions. Joint custody can be defined in three ways legally.

These are joint legal custody, joint physical custody, and the combination of joint legal and joint physical custody.

It’s important to note that joint physical custody is related to where (and with whom) your child or children live. Legal custody covers additional features such as decision-making responsibilities about your child or children.

Now, let’s review different joint custody models.

Joint Custody Models

If possible, it’s best to come up with a joint custody model with your separated partner. While I understand that it can be challenging to communicate, it’s important to try. This is because, otherwise, it will be up to the courts.

This can be difficult for your children to go through. Why?

This is because your child or children may not understand everything that’s happening during the divorce process. Instead of understanding that you care, they will think you don’t care enough to make custody arrangements yourself.

For this reason, if possible, you should draw up a joint custody schedule with your separated partner. Knowing which types of joint custody schedules work can be helpful. Let’s review those now.

Alternating Weeks

One of the most common types of joint custody models is alternating weeks. With this model, your child or children spend alternating weeks with each parent. One week with you, one week with your separated or divorced partner.

Here are some more details on how it works.

Parents usually have children switch from one home to another on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. This often is less stressful for children since weekdays might be more complicated logistically.

There are also requirements related to this arrangement.

These requirements are requirements present in many joint custody schedules. In each home, there needs to be a fully functional living space. There should also be fully functional bedrooms.

Here are some additional tips for this joint custody arrangement.

In each home, keep your kids’ favorite electronics, toys, and a wardrobe. Otherwise, your children will feel like they have to pack up their whole life each time they switch. This won’t really make them feel “at home.”

There’s more to consider regarding your children. The alternating week joint custody agreement works best for older children. It’s also suitable for younger children who are okay with spending a week away from one parent.

If you aren’t sure, speak with your children about it this arrangement. Now, let’s move onto the next one.

Alternating Weeks With a Midweek Visit

When you’re using the alternating weeks with a midweek visit model, it’s almost the same as above. However, the difference is that one parent will visit in the middle of the week. While this is a great solution, it has logistical issues.

It’s a great solution because your children won’t have to go as long without seeing each parent. The logistical issues are that it can be difficult to plan.

First of all, there are activities your children have that might be difficult to plan around. Let’s review those.

These activities could include homework time, study groups, or extracurricular activities like dance, music, or sports. To avoid interrupting your children’s schedules, you need to plan around these activities.

There are creative ways to do this.

One creative solution is to pick your children up, take them to their activity, and bring them back home. Then, you can stay for dinner. This way, you can spend time with them during your visit without interrupting their schedule.

Let’s move on now to the next arrangement.

Alternating Weeks With a Midweek Overnight

Another alternating weeks option is the one that has a midweek overnight. In this joint custody arrangement, your children will stay one night a week at the other parent’s home. This is a solution so that they don’t have to go a full week without seeing a parent.

Here’s how to plan it most effectively.

Tuesday or Wednesday is probably the best night for the midweek overnight. This way, your child won’t have to go too long without seeing the other parent. However, there are some logistics to consider.

Like with the last arrangement, you need to make room for your child’s activities.

Additionally, if your children are older, let them decide which night is their midweek overnight. It’s important for them to have a voice about what they do with their nights.

You could even offer additional flexibility.

For example, some nights they could do a midweek overnight, but on others, the parent would come over for dinner. Be flexible too when it comes to schoolwork, just as skipping an overnight if they have a big test the next day.

Now that we’ve reviewed how to plan alternating weeks with a midweek overnight, we’ll move on to the next joint custody arrangement.

2-2-3 Rotation Schedule

When you have a 2-2-3 rotation schedule, it works like this. Your child spends 2 days with one parent. Then, they spend 2 days with the other parent. Then, they spend 3 days (ideally, Friday-Sunday) with the first parent they spent time with. Then, it flips.

It flips like this. Your child spends 2 days with the parent who only had 2 days the week before. Then, they spend 2 days with the parent who had 5 days the week before.

Then, they switch again for the next 3 days (ideally, Friday-Sunday).

With this last switch, it would be with the parent they spent 2 days with the week before. There are two reasons why this is a good schedule.

The first reason is that children won’t have to spend long periods of time without one parent. The second reason is that parents can have alternating weekends. This may be easier on your schedules, too.

However, there are some limitations to consider.

The first of these limitations is that this schedule works best for parents who live close to each other. Otherwise, it would be too difficult to make the switch so many times. You also need to think about limitations related to age.

For young children, it can be challenging to move constantly like this. For infants, it’s been shown that attachment insecurity is linked to frequent overnights.

As a result, you should think about the ages of your children before choosing this schedule. Let’s move on to the next one.

3-3-4-4- Rotation Schedule

This joint custody model works the same as the one above. However, instead of 2 days, then 2 days, and then 3 days, it’s 3 days, 3 days, 4 days, 4 days. There are some benefits to this schedule. Let’s review those benefits.

This schedule is easier for your children because they spend more time at each residence. This will make their life feel a bit more stable. It also means that your children will get to see a parent each weekend, which means more fun for them.

Here’s an additional benefit.

The additional benefit is that you will have a weekend day with your child and a weekend day for yourself. This means you can live a balanced life while seeing your kid for fun weekend events.

However, there is a logistical consideration you have to make with this arrangement. The Saturdays change month to month. This may be confusing, with many activities occurring on Saturdays.

For this reason, we recommend syncing calendars with your separated partner.

Now, let’s move on to the next joint custody model.

2-2-5-5 Rotation Schedule

Finally, there’s the 2-2-2-5 rotation schedule. This schedule is similar to the last two joint custody models we reviewed. It is useful because the five days spent with each parent can make the situation feel stable for your children.

However, here’s something to consider.

Because of the complexity of this joint custody model, you will want to check in with your children. Ask them if it works for them. It’s also important to keep everything organized with a synched-up calendar.

Now that we’ve reviewed this rotation schedule, we’ll move onto nesting.

Nesting

Nesting is a solution that many divorced parents are using these days. This type of solution creates more stability for your children. When you’re nesting, your children stay in one home. Let’s go a bit more in detail as to how and why this works.

There’s one home, a primary residence, where your children stay. Then, each parent takes turns staying in the home with them. Because the children don’t have to move back and forth, they feel at home there.

Here’s how it works. It may be a bit complicated, at first, for you to switch back and forth. However, you can look for local apartment complexes and long-stay hotels that are friendly to this type of situation.

Additionally, because nesting is becoming more popular, there will be more options for parents soon. There’s another reason why nesting will become easier for you.

This is because you can adapt all the joint custody models we just reviewed to create your nesting schedule. Remember that it will be worth it to do this because your children will be happier.

Need More Information?

Now that you’ve learned about the different join custody models, you may need more information. Perhaps you want help figuring out which of these models works best for you. Or maybe you want to learn about how joint custody and child support work together.

Whatever information you need, 2 Houses can help. This company knows everything there is to know about how to manage your divorce.

This is so that the outcome is best for your children. They can provide communicational and organizational strategies. To learn more about how they can help, contact them now.

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The Advantages of Joint Custody

Joint custody

In 2018, there were over 700,000 divorces in America. That’s about 39% of married couples. It’s a staggering statistic, but divorces occur for many reasons.

The important thing, especially if there are children involved, is for parents to continue to provide the best possible life for them. Many, including the legal system, believe the key to this is joint physical custody. This is new to many couples who may ask themselves: Should we use joint custody?

To find out, you must first understand what joint custody is. You should also learn some of its advantages. It may seem overwhelming, but fear not—the statistics above show that you are not alone.

Many couples with children have successfully navigated a separation or a divorce. So if you’re still asking yourself, “Should I try joint custody?” read on to learn more.

What Is Joint Custody?

Joint custody may not mirror the life your child knew before the separation or divorce. But it is the closest they will get to having both parents equally involved in their life.

It allows both parents to have legal or physical custody of their child/children.

Types of Custody

When it comes to the court deciding custody arrangements, most judges prefer to grant joint custody. It’s deemed to be in the child’s best interest when both parents have some involvement in their child’s life, as well as their upbringing.

However, this may not be feasible if parents live miles apart or have a hard time communicating or getting along. It also becomes a problem if either parent has a history of domestic violence. 

Depending on the situation, the judge may decide on one of the following options.

Legal Custody: A parent with sole legal custody makes major decisions on behalf of their child. It includes decisions about the child’s education and religion. However, even if one parent has sole legal custody, both parents are still involved in medical decisions. The parent without custody also has access to the child’s school records.

Shared Legal Custody: With shared custody, both parents make these decisions.

Physical Custody: Physical custody determines where a child resides. If one parent has sole physical custody, the child spends the majority of their time with that parent. The other parent usually has regularly scheduled visitations.

Joint Physical Custody: With joint physical custody, both parents may not spend equal time with their child. However, the time the child does spend with each parent will be substantial.

Advantages of Joint Custody

Determining if joint custody is right for your situation is challenging. The most important thing is that you base your decision on what’s in the best interest of your child. 

This is something the courts also consider when making custody decisions. Agreeing with your ex-partner without any involvement from the legal system is usually best. After all, as parents, you know what’s best for your child.

They’re also many advantages to joint custody. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest ones.

A Positive Impact on Your Child

Joint custody makes the separation less impactful on your child. This is especially true if parents live near to each other. The joint custody agreement should reflect what’s best for your child’s needs.

This is most beneficial for the child when parents put their differences aside. It means finding common ground to successfully co-parent. Success is also assured if there is a conscious effort to reduce friction and arguments. 

Time With Both Parents

Your child gets to spend time with both of you. So, you’ll both be equally involved in your child’s life. It also means both of you can influence your child, instilling your childhood values, life experiences, family history, and unique parenting style.

Together, you can both make lasting memories and share both the challenges and joys of childhood. The involvement of both parents ensures neither of you will miss out on the major milestones in your child’s life. You will both be present.

This is something your child will remember and appreciate, especially as they get older. Absence also makes the heart grow fonder. The time apart from your child will make both of you appreciate your time together even more.

Lessened Feelings of Guilt

Children often have feelings of rejection when a parent moves out. It can often result in a feeling of loss and lowered self-esteem. They also tend to be more anxious or even depressed when they don’t have access to both parents.

Joint custody reduces the feelings of anger that this can create. Access to both parents also lessens feelings of guilt as your child feels free to love both parents. Good co-parenting enhances this.

Your child won’t feel they’re losing a parent. It leaves them free to focus on being a kid and growing up healthy. 

Sharing of Daily Responsibilities

Both parents share daily responsibilities that have an impact on their children. This includes expenses and all the things involved in raising a child. You will get to make decisions about your child’s upbringing together.

This mutual decision-making helps to reduce stress on each parent as making life decisions for your child is a huge responsibility. It is even more stressful when you have to do it on your own. The input from both parents is also beneficial to the child.

Maintaining Structure and Discipline

Joint custody allows parents to share the responsibility of discipline. Creating and discussing rules about discipline ensures you and your ex are on the same page. This is important especially if your child tries to use one parent against the other to get what they want.

It will also mean enforcing appropriate consequences. A team approach is best and helps your child have structure and boundaries even after the separation or divorce.

Shared Financial Responsibility

You won’t only share major decisions such as schooling and religion. You will also share financial responsibilities. This includes the sharing of incidental costs that may crop up when your child is with you.

Inevitably, you will also share the cost of everyday items such as field trips, school supplies, or snacks for extra-curricular activities.

A Regular Routine for Your Child

Schedules and routines are important because they give children confidence and a sense of belonging. The great thing about this is that, as a parent, you can also benefit from a set schedule. You can discuss options with your ex-partner.

According to Aha Parenting, children “handle change best if it is expected and occurs in the context of a familiar routine”. This is more important than ever after a separation or divorce. Routines also help children:

  • Feel comfortable with what is happening and what is to follow
  • Feel more in control of their situation
  • Feel secure and safe

Fall into a routine that works best for all parties involved, especially your child.

Making Time for Self-Care 

“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” Eleanor Brown

Your routine will allow you to plan. Although joint custody allows you to share responsibility, you are still parenting on your own when your child is in your care. This can be tiring.

When your child is with your ex-partner, you can take the time to replenish your energy. Schedule self-care activities. Doing this allows you to stay mentally, emotionally, and physically strong for yourself and your child.

Investing in Your Future as Well as Your Child’s

You can use the time your child is away from you to invest in your career. This can help you plan financially for your child’s future, which may also include saving for their college tuition.

You can put in extra hours at work on the days your child isn’t with you. The extra time and commitment to your work can help you move up in your career. A work promotion will also include an increase in compensation which you can use to take care of your child’s needs. 

Less Stress on Everyone Involved

It’s easier for everyone involved when everyone gets along. Seeing you have an amicable relationship with your ex, or that a stepparent is involved and also onboard has a positive impact on your child. 

Dating Is Easier

It may be a while before you are ready to move on after a separation or a divorce. However, when you are ready, joint custody will make dating easier without disrupting your child’s life.

You can schedule dates on the days you don’t have your child. It allows you to meet someone without the pressure of having to introduce them to your child. It gives you space and time to see if things work out and decide if or when you want them to meet your child.  

Disadvantages of Joint Custody

Although the pros outweigh the cons, there are some potential disadvantages of joint custody you’ll want to be aware of. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

The Negative Impact 

Joint custody can also have a negative impact on a child. But this is usually only if the parents don’t get along. The friction between parents can make planning and scheduling tedious as well as stressful.

This inevitably has an impact on your child, as they may feel like they’re in the middle of it all. It may make them feel they have to choose between the two of you.

Lack of proper communication between parents may also leave a child feeling like a moderator. Parents may use them to pass messages along if they’re not willing to work together.

Disruptive Schedules

The variations in a child’s schedule can be disruptive, especially as your child moves from one home to the other often. If you’re not well-organized, this can become confusing and overwhelming for both you and your child.

It may mean leaving homework assignments, uniforms, or items used for extra-curricular activities at the wrong home. This can cause your child to worry needlessly and become stressed.

Conflicting Schedules

Being organized is key for joint custody to work. If not, it may lead to otherwise avoidable schedule conflicts. This can result in arguments over pick up and drop off arrangements, especially if it conflicts with one parent’s schedule.

Parents may also start comparing. One parent may perceive the other’s schedule as easier.

Increased Expenses

In cases where there is more than one child, expenses may increase for both parents. This is because it involves the maintenance of two homes. It may sometimes mean that each parent may need to purchase certain things your child/children may need.

An example would be a child who does basketball and is hoping to get a scholarship. Each parent may choose to install a basketball hoop to ensure their child’s success. Unfortunately, this may also lead to parents comparing who spends more.

Change Is Stressful

Change, although inevitable, is stressful for adults. It’s even more so for children, especially younger ones who thrive on a set routine. It becomes even worse if there is animosity between the parents.

Children can sense this and it can lead to changes in their behavior. They may become angry and lash out, or withdraw and lose interest.

Many of the disadvantages of joint custody can be eliminated or lessened based on the behavior or approach of the parents involved. This is great as it means you have control of how well joint custody can work for your family. 

There are also many resources that can help make the transition a lot easier.

Making the Transition to Sharing Joint Custody

Separation and divorce can be stressful. It takes an emotional, mental and physical toll on all parties involved. Parents dealing with this should always keep their children in mind when making decisions.

Making these decisions as you transition to sharing joint custody with your ex-partner can be overwhelming. However, there is technology that can help to keep your new schedule organized. The more organized you are, the easier it will be on your child as they will have a set routine.

2houses gives you a handle on all the details involved. Our features assist you with scheduling, finances, messages, and so much more. We can put you one step closer to making this transition easier.

Register with us today to start organizing your new life to make the transition easier for your child as well.

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Tips, Tricks and Talking Points for Setting Up Joint Custody

Joint custody agreement

When it comes to custody situations, there are two main types of custody orders: sole custody and joint custody. Decades ago, sole custody was much more common than joint custody, with most children living with one parent and the other parent being awarded a standard schedule of one afternoon visit a week and every other weekend. However, in recent years, the courts have recognized how important it is for children to have ongoing, close relationships with both parents and have started to move toward more joint custody arrangements. In some states, such as Maine and North Dakota, joint custody is even considered the default standard, and sole custody is only awarded if there are exceptional circumstances that make joint custody not in the best interests of the children.

3 Reasons You May Want to Consider Joint Custody

Whether you are just considering filing for custody and wondering if you should consider a joint custody situation or are wanting to switch from sole custody to joint, there are many reasons why joint custody can be beneficial for both the parents and the children.

1. It Keeps Both Parents Involved

For those that are able to co-parent well, joint custody arrangements can be very helpful. It ensures that both parents can stay active in the children’s lives, which has been shown to be beneficial for the children especially. With a joint custody arrangement, it’s more likely that both parents will be seeing the child on a more frequent basis, and both parents will also have the opportunity to transport the child to extracurricular activities, host sleepovers and playdates and get to be involved in more of the day-to-day aspects of parenting.

2. It Lets You Share the Decision-Making Burden

Having joint legal custody also keeps both parents equally involved in the decision-making process for important issues such as medical care, education and religious upbringing. When all of the burden of making these types of decisions falls on one parent, such as when there is a sole legal custody arrangement, it can be stressful. Many parents find that having joint decision-making ability lets them work together to consider ideas, bounce different options off of each other and come to a decision that both are comfortable with.

3. It Can Give You a Built-In Support System

Joint custody schedules can also ease some of the burden of being a single parent. Being the only parent in the household means there is a lot of responsibility, with most single parents juggling working, taking care of the children and managing the household. If you have a joint custody schedule and a good co-parenting relationship, the other parent can step in and provide some relief if you get called in for an extra shift, need some time to deep clean without children underfoot or just need a night to relax after a stressful day.

Some joint custody schedules include a specific clause for this called the first right of refusal. This basically means that anytime one parent isn’t going to be with the children and would be having them stay with friends or family or hiring a babysitter, the other parent gets the first opportunity to take that time. Only if the other parent refuses, does the first parent then have someone else watch the kids.

Filing for Joint Custody

Filing for joint custody is something you can do yourself, or you can have a lawyer fill out the paperwork. Which way is best depends a great deal on your unique set of circumstances. For example, if you are doing an initial filing for joint custody and your divorce has been amicable and both you and the other parent are in agreement on the custody arrangement, filing with the courts yourself can save you money over getting an attorney.

However, in situations where you are asking for joint custody when a sole custody order is already in place or if the custody situation is already contentious, it may be best to have an attorney handle things so that you can be sure the paperwork is filled out appropriately and all of your specific needs have been addressed in the filing.

Exactly how to file for joint custody varies by state, and the process may also be different if you are trying to change an existing custody order instead of doing an original filing. Below, we’ve listed the general steps as well as special considerations to be aware of depending on your situation.

1. Find Out What Paperwork You Need

Every state has a specific form that must be filed for joint custody. If you already have a custody order in place, this may be called something like a Motion for Reallocation of Parenting Responsibilities. If it’s the first custody filing for the case, it may just be the Shared Parenting Agreement that you file along with your divorce paperwork. Make sure you have the correct paperwork for your situation.

2. Gather Your Documentation

If you are requesting a modification to an existing custody order, you will need to show the court cause as to why the change is needed. Keep in mind that courts always go by what they believe is in the best interests of the children, which means your documentation needs to reflect that. It can be difficult to change from sole custody to joint custody, as some states have laws that only allow for this change if certain circumstances, such as a job loss, addiction issue or abuse, are happening. A change in custody also often affects child support, so you may need to provide recent income documentation so the courts can decide if the child support order also needs to be adjusted.

3. File With the Courts

Once you have all of the correct paperwork and corresponding documentation, you’re ready to file. If you are filing yourself, you may have to pay a small filing fee when you file the papers with the clerk of courts. You may also need to pay for the other parent to be served the papers. If you are using an attorney, these fees are usually included in the retainer amount, and you will receive an itemized statement that shows what the cost was.

4. Attend the Hearing

While it may take a while to get it completed and ready to send in, filing the custody paperwork with the courts is really only the first step. Once the filing has been accepted, you will be given a hearing date. Both parents will need to attend the hearing, and the best-case scenario is that the final decision will be made that day and you will leave the courthouse with temporary paperwork that explains the updated custody arrangement while you wait for your official copy to arrive from the court.

However, custody decisions are notorious for being drawn out, especially in cases where the parents are not in agreement. If you want joint custody and the other parent doesn’t, your case may be sent on for further hearings where both sides will be able to present documentation and even have witnesses and experts provide testimony as to why the proposed joint custody arrangement is or isn’t in the best interests of the children. Even after the judge has made a decision, there is still the possibility of an appeal.

5. Keep Your Paperwork

Once the custody agreement has been finalized, make sure to keep your official copy from the courts where you can access it easily. You may need it as a reference for how to handle things like summer vacations, birthdays and other holidays as well as other special circumstances like the children participating in extracurricular activities on the other parent’s time.

Making Joint Custody Arrangements Work

When it comes to any situation that involves parents who are no longer in a relationship and their children, the focus is always on the best interests of the children. This is what the courts look at in making custody determinations, and it’s what both parties should keep in mind as they co-parent.

Frequent, open communication and a focus on the children is the best way to facilitate joint custody, and 2Houses can help. 2Houses makes it easy to keep dates and custody schedules straight with its joint calendar feature, and you can easily upload practice dates, birthday parties and parent-teacher conferences so both parents have access to the children’s schedules at all times. Keeping track of splitting payments for program fees, school supplies and medical care is easy with the financial tracker that shows who is responsible for which portion of what bill. And there’s a built-in messaging feature so you can keep all communication and information in one place and not have to worry about keeping records of texts or emails.

No matter what kind of custody schedule you end up with, keeping the lines of communication open and making the children the number one priority can help you better navigate co-parenting.