In Florida, what is typically referred to in child custody in other states is actually referred to as time-sharing. This refers to the custody and visitation agreements set up regarding any parents who are going through a divorce and have concerns about spending time with their children.
Time-sharing will refer to all of the structures and organizations set up in order to support a child or children most effectively. There are several different things you should know as a parent in order to most appropriately protect yourself.
Florida family law statutes have officially replaced child custody with time-sharing as an official term. All decisions made in this area are primarily focused on the best interest of the child.
In fact this is the only guideline that many judges are given in order to consider how a child's time will be divided between parents. It can be a bad idea to keep the peace by accepting a bad deal that does not appropriately align with with unique needs.
With the right Florida Divorce Attorney you can work hard to reach an agreement on time-sharing issues without having to enter litigation. Unfortunately, however in situations where you are not able to reach an agreement with your former spouse on this or where there are problems with your existing time-sharing schedule handed down by the court, you may need to file a modification.
Both parents may need up being more satisfied in the long-run when they work together to reach an agreement rather than putting the control of this decision entirely in the hands of a family court judge who might not understand a child's unique needs or lifestyle as the parents do themselves.
There are several different things you can do to keep the peace during your Florida divorce and afterwards. First of all, always maintain an open line of communication with the other parent.
Although it can be difficult to talk to someone to whom you were once married, you should always keep an open line of communication as it relates to the children. This is a good faith effort on your part to indicate that you intend to cooperate wherever possible, and it is strongly recommended that you encourage parent to do the same.
Given that your children may have already been negatively impacted by arguments between you and your former spouse in the home prior to the divorce or even during the divorce, there is no need to amplify the drama and escalate this issue to an ongoing situation.
Children can be significantly impacted by the emotional behavior of their parents, so always keep an open line of communication. It may be tempting to get emotional and to throw digs at the other parent, particularly if he or she is not complying with the time-sharing schedule or making your life difficult.
Keep things centered around the best needs of the child and state things calmly from your own perspective.
If you are unable to resolve things with the other parent in a situation like this, you can result to working with a Florida family lawyer. Who can help you modify or adjust the agreement as necessary or bring issues to court when the other parent is not complying.
One of the other things you can do to keep the peace is to avoid engaging in any emotional discussions about the former spouse when your children are around.
There is no doubt that you need to vent and at certain times it can be overwhelming to deal with someone else's behavior or the challenges of upholding rules across two different households. However, this is not a conversation you should have in front of your children, it can actually make things much worse.
This is why it is strongly recommended that you instead work directly to vent on your personal time including to a therapist or a friend when your children are not around.
Finally, in the event that there are changes that need to be made to the time-sharing schedule such as vacation-related issues with your job or other times when you may not be able to take the children when you were supposed to, make sure you notify the other parent as soon as possible.
This is a common courtesy that can go a long way and may lead to better relationship communication-wise with your former spouse and you. Ultimately this benefits not just as you but also your children as well, so that people can make appropriate adjustments in time.
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