How to handle visitation across different Texas counties

For some parents, sharing custody is incredibly straightforward. They continue living in the same community and can exchange custody with minimal travel time and inconvenience. For others, the situation can easily become more complex. Texas is a very large state, and even if both parents remain in Texas, one might move to another county in pursuit of affordable housing, job opportunities or a new relationship. Even if equally-shared custody isn’t realistic because of the distance between households, the non-custodial parent should have a liberal amount of visitation time with the children. How can parents handle visitation matters when they live in different counties? Make use of breaks from school It usually isn’t very realistic to have significant visitation time across county lines during the school year except on the weekends. If the parents only live one county apart, the children could spend the weekdays with one parent and most weekends with the other. That can help preserve parent-child relationships. Other times, if the distance is greater, the parents may need to establish a plan that focuses on longer breaks from school. Three-day weekends, the winter holidays, spring break and summer vacation could all be opportunities for the non-residential parent to have significant amounts of parenting time. As long as the children are old enough for such arrangements to be developmentally appropriate, they could potentially spend almost the entirety of their summer vacation with the other parent. Of course, such arrangements do need to take into consideration the importance of the residential parent having an opportunity to spend holidays, birthdays and vacation time with the children as well. With the right plan, parents can balance the need for overnight visitation with the need for both parents to spend special days with the children. Enact clear communication rules Particularly in scenarios where parents live a significant distance part and cannot make weekend visitation a regular arrangement, alternative means of connecting with children can be an important inclusion in the family’s parenting plan. Video calls with the children can allow the parent living in another county to see the children and play an active role in their daily lives. Regular phone calls and emails can also be a means of preserving the bond between parent and child. Rather than leaving communication matters completely open-ended, it is often better to designate specific modes of communication and a minimum level of frequency. Including restrictions, such as not calling within half an hour of the children’s bedtime is also usually smart. Parents may also need to address matters such as who pays for transportation costs. Ensuring that the children have their necessary medication, school books and equipment when moving back and forth between houses is also crucial. With the right planning, parents can share custody across counties with minimal complications and disruptions to the family schedule. Planning carefully can take a lot of the pressure off of parents who share custody in Texas.The post How to handle visitation across different Texas counties first appeared on Izzo & Associates, PLLC.