Divorce tips for women regarding child visitation are among the most important because most mothers do not know what to expect. Child visitation is also referred to as parenting time. Child visitation is time a child spends with the non-custodial parent. Visitation can be a few hours in the evening, a weekend, or a school vacation. It can take place in a parent’s home, a friend’s home, a hotel (if the parent is visiting from out of town) or virtually anywhere.
Transitions
Transitioning from the custodial parent to the non-custodial parent can be difficult for children of any age. Younger children may have separation anxiety or seem fearful when the custodial parent leaves. That will get better over time and it doesn’t mean that the child isn’t safe or that the child doesn’t want to be there with the non-custodial parent. It;s important for a mom to remember that children need time to settle in and get used to their new surroundings before they can really relax and connect with the noncustodial parent. Longer visitation times are usually better for younger children so they have time to adjust as their needs dictate.
Making Time for Visitation
As children get older, their schedules fill with activities and sports and a strict visitation schedule may no longer be realistic. Parents end up driving to and from activities and spend more time watching their kids than interacting with their kids. It is important that a parent respect the child’s need and desire to be involved in activities with friends. Both parents will need to work together so that both parents are involved in the children’s activities and both parents have activity-free time to build relationships with the children.
Unexpected Circumstances
Children get sick, parents get sick and sometimes flights get cancelled or work obligations go longer than expected. All of these circumstances can impact visitation time. It is important that parents have some level of flexibility when circumstances outside of the parents’ control impact visitation or parenting time. If a parent is using these excuses more often than reasonable to avoid visitation though, a mother should consider asking the court to change the schedule because constant missed visitation can be detrimental for the children and can wreak havoc on a woman’s scheduled plans.
Supervised Visitation
Every family’s situation calls for a different type of visitation schedule and experience. In situations where a parent has a history of drug or alcohol abuse, or of domestic abuse, a parent may be required to have supervised visitation. The supervisor is often a social worker hired by the county or by the family. Supervised visitation usually takes place at a neutral site either on government property, or at a site arranged by the family with a social worker. Supervised visitation is court-ordered and can be at the request of a parent, the court, or a child specialist. It can be for a limited time or indefinitely. A mother who feels her child is not safe while with her father should consider asking for supervised visitation.
Getting Legal Help
Visitation schedules can be court-ordered as can have specific requirements to protect the emotional and physical safety of the children. An experienced family law attorney can help parents create a visitation schedule that is in the best interests of the children and still work for the parents’ work schedules.
