About half of marriages in Florida end in divorce, and many of them involve children. Although you may wish that you could move on completely from your ex-spouse, it’s usually not possible to live a totally separate life from the other parent of your child.
Is 50/50 custody always best?
If you’re going through a divorce with the parent of your children, you might have been told that a 50/50 custody split is the ideal solution. However, there are a lot of arguments against dividing parenting time equally. Here are three reasons why a 50/50 child custody split might not work:
The age of the children
Children will have very different needs at different stages of their life. That’s why the age of children should greatly impact a custody arrangement. For example, a newborn baby may be breastfeeding around the clock and need to be with their mother most of the time. On the other hand, a teenager may like a 50/50 split as long it works out logistically.
One parent is unfit
When one parent is unfit, it is important to not have a 50/50 child custody arrangement until the unfit parent gets their life together. This is especially important in cases that involve physical and/or drug and alcohol abuse.
Scheduling conflicts
Sometimes, work, school and activities schedules are the main deciding factors in a custody arrangement. For example, one parent might have custody during the school week because they live much closer to the school and don’t have to work during pick-up and drop-off times.
The child custody arrangement can evolve
The child custody arrangement that you work out right after your divorce is probably going to change. As children get older and people move and change jobs, what works now may not work tomorrow. The most important thing is to choose the child custody plan that works best for your children.