Parenting Time

When one party has primary physical custody then the opposing party has what is called parenting time. Some people call this visitation but the court prefers to call this parenting time. This is basically the time the noncustodial parent has with the child. Some of the determining factors of the schedule of this parenting time are the child's school schedule and extra curricular activities and how much traveling time would be involved. A parent who lives close by would have easier access than a parent who lives across the country. Now, often people will become focused on the label of who has primary custody and who has parenting time. The label is for the most part irrelevant. What is relevant is the amount of overnights each parent has. The amount of overnights is the amount of quality time you have with the child and also one of the factors that affects the determination of the amount of child support. It is a bit of a stumbling block to go into court demanding primary or shared physical custody or to have a calculator to figure how many overnights you want. Rather, the focus should be on the child's life and the most amount of time you can have with the child throughout the year and holidays and summer. For sure, do not go into court demanding time based on what will affect your child support amount. Custody and parenting time is not about money. In rare and extreme circumstances the Court may order for parenting time to be supervised. These issues should be discussed during your initial consultation with your attorney.