Some analysts are beginning to advise Washington parents to consider switching from traditional custody arrangements. Normally, the children are with one parent for a week and then the other parent for the next week. However, signs are beginning to emerge that this solution may not work best for everyone involved, most of all the children.
Parents do not properly estimate the effect of saying goodbye and the resulting separation. Researches are beginning to note the separation anxiety that is caused by a custody schedule with longer absences. Researchers have also detected that children may grow distant from one or both parents as a result of long periods of being apart. This ends up being counterproductive when parents have invested so much in securing custodial time with their kids.
There are other issues with the traditional custody schedule that can impact the parents. For example, when one is a working single parent, they are responsible for picking up and dropping off their children. This can conflict with their job responsibilities, and their employer may have a problem with it. As a result, analysts are urging parents to consider a different type of custody schedule. The parents would still maintain an even split of custodial time, but the children would move between the households more often. This could minimize some of the adverse effects of the custody arrangement.
For help negotiating this type of arrangement, one could seek the help of a family law attorney. It might be easier to have this type of schedule as an initial custody arrangement because renegotiating at a later time may prove difficult. The attorney could make suggestions and discuss the terms of the custody schedule with the other side. If necessary, legal counsel can take the case in front of a family law judge.
