Anyone on here share joint custody of their kids. It looks like my wife and I will be splitting and we have 4 year old twins. We have been married 11 years and both have good jobs. We pledged to keep this as amicable as possible. Any advice on joint custody?
You should have Joint Custody Plan filed with the court. My ex had primary physical custody for the purpose of school but we have joint legal custody. We have a week on/week off schedule for visitiation. Here are some of the details that are in mine:
JOINT CHILD CUSTODY PLAN
The Petitioner, ME, and the Respondent, HER, hereby enter into this Joint Child Custody Plan to provide for the care and custody of their child: Child. The parties agree as follows:
I. DECISION MAKING AUTHORITY
1. Both parents are to have equal rights and responsibilities regarding the child.
2. Both parents shall confer with one another by the most reasonable and appropriate method regarding the best interests of the child.
3. Both parents shall share decision making authority as to important matters affecting the physical, mental and moral welfare and upbringing of the child and shall decide jointly the following matters:
A. Medical, dental and health care the child should receive;
B. The schools the child should attend;
C. Summer camps and church schools and/or classes the child should attend;
D. The fashion and manner in which the child should be disciplined;
E. The extent of any travel of the child away from home, including purpose, duration, mode, chaperone(s), etc. and
F. All other areas requiring decisions affecting the growth and development of the child.
4. During the period each parent has physical custody of the child, that parent shall decide all normal, regular and routine matters concerning the welfare of the child. Both parents shall cooperate with one another in maintaining a mutually supportive arrangement regarding such normal, regular and routine matters.
In the event of a dispute between the parents as to interpretation of this plan, the Court may appoint an arbitrator to resolve the dispute, or the parties may agree to appointment of an arbitrator. The arbitrator shall be a disinterested person knowledgeable in domestic relations law and family counseling. The determination of the arbitrator shall be final and binding on the parties until further Order of the Court.
just make sure
the agreement is spelled out as much as possible
if she says you cna have them every other weekend but it's not in writing you dont get them every other weekend
if she says you can take them on vacation with you, but it's not in writing you dont get to take them on vacation
the other thing i'd say is DOCUMENT EVERY instance where the mother misses an agreement.
if she is supposed to drop the kids off at 500 pm on friday and she doesn't show up until 530 document it in a log
if she calls and asks if she can keep them an extra night because they want to go to a movie with friends and it'll be to late to bring them over after the movie document it.
when you are getting screwed out of you custody time and you finally have to go back to court your lawyer will thank you for a detailed log of every violation she has already committed
Thanks for the information guys. We are to to try therapy and see if we can work it out. If not, I want to be prepared.
In Canada or Ontario the language joint custody vs shared custody denotes a difference....not sure if that's the same where you are at.
Joint custody means that one of the parents has custody more and the other pays support.
Shared means everything is split right down the middle so no support is paid. That's my understanding anyway.
Go to marriedredpill on reddit. Read the sidebar and thank me later.
Mit - In Canada or Ontario the language joint custody vs shared custody denotes a difference....not sure if that's the same where you are at.I'll look into this and see if it holds true here. I make about 30k more a year, so I anticipate paying some support regardless.
Joint custody means that one of the parents has custody more and the other pays support.
Shared means everything is split right down the middle so no support is paid. That's my understanding anyway.
