It is a good idea for divorced parents to review their custody situation at regular intervals in Washington to accommodate changes. Before the kids return to school is a good time to decide if the current visitation schedule will still work or if it is time to redo it.
According to Huff Post, custody changes may be necessary based on the child’s school schedule and activities. As a child gets older, the amount of extracurricular activities may grow. This may mean extra nights at practice or weekend events. Or, perhaps the child is struggling academically and now needs a tutor on a regular basis. Depending on each parent’s location from school or their work schedules, they may need to make some tweaks to the custody plan.
There are also the child’s personality and developmental needs to consider. It may have been better for a younger child to spend more time with one parent, but now that the child is older, spending equal time with both parents is good for emotional and mental reasons.
This is also a good time to be honest about each parent’s schedule and wishes when examining how the custody schedule worked the previous school year. Perhaps it was difficult for one person to leave work on time to pick up the kids, or one parent felt they deserve more time. Parents should be able to talk openly and honestly about these concerns and if a different plan may be better.
FindLaw discusses the importance of planning for holidays and school breaks. Parents should discuss this early on and plan on who gets the kids during which break so everyone is on the same page and there is no stress or anger once the holidays arrive.