When New Jersey couples go through a divorce, many agree to share joint custody of their children. While joint custody may seem very simple on paper as you and your former spouse get to see your children the same amount of time, the logistics behind it can be a bit complicated. The reality is that no single child custody schedule works for every family. Rather, each family needs to pick a unique schedule that fits their needs.
The weekly swap
If you want to keep things simple for your family, a weekly swap child custody arrangement may be your best option. Each week, your child will spend time with one parent. Most parents switch on Friday or Saturday. For example, say you pick up your child after school on Friday, and you keep them at your home until the following Friday. Your spouse will then pick them up the following Friday, and they will stay at your spouse’s house until the next Friday.
2-2-3 rotation
In the 2-2-3 rotation agreement, both parents will have the child for two days in succession. Then, the parent who had custody first will get three days with the child. Both parents will spend two days with a child, and then the next parent will have three days with the child. Looking at an example can help you to better understand this type of arrangement. Say one parent has the child on Sunday and Monday. The next parent has the child on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then, the initial parent has the child Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This gives one parent a long weekend with their child. The next week, the opposite parent gets a long weekend with their child.
Every family is different, and choosing the right child custody arrangement will highly depend on the specific circumstances of your family. Your attorney may help you take logistics into consideration when determining what type of custody arrangement is best.
