Time-sharing succeeds when it fits the family’s routine and the child’s best interests. Time-sharing arrangements must account for schedules, transitions, and communication methods that support daily routines and the needs of the child.
How Mediation Helps In This Context
Participants often test proposed time-sharing schedules against school and work calendars, transitions, and travel demands to determine whether arrangements are workable in practice, adjusting proposals as needed to address practical constraints specific to their child or their family. They can address exchange logistics, communication methods, and other elements affecting the child’s needs and the family’s routines and develop terms that are clear and capable of consistent implementation. Participants often address the uncertainty of how a parenting plan could be determined if the matter proceeds through litigation, including whether a court-ordered schedule is likely to resolve the issues in a way that works in practice. Participants sometimes look at how positions and communication may be affecting the ability to reach and implement workable arrangements and whether they are in a better position to address the outcomes impacting their family rather than leaving those determinations to the court.
Common Issues
- Regular schedules and exchanges
- Holidays and travel permissions
- Transportation time, costs, and contingencies
- School, health, and activities information sharing
Some Considerations For Counsel Preparing For Mediation
- Bring draft weekly and holiday calendars
- Select exchange locations that are consistent and safe
- Help participants identify an update method and a simple path for routine adjustments
- Consider how travel delays or missed exchanges will be handled