Texas Custody Schedule

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setup with Custody X Change.

Separated or divorcing parents need to decide how the mother and father will share the time with the children. The best way to do this is by creating a custody, or parenting time, schedule that outlines when the child is with each parent and including the schedule in the custody agreement or parenting plan. The task of setting up a custody schedule is very important because it dictates the amount of time you will have with the children until the children are adults. Here is some information to help Alabama parents create a child custody schedule.

How to Make a Custody Schedule

A good, complete custody schedule has the following components: the repeating cycle of custody and visitation, the holiday schedule, vacation time, and special events. You should also consider adding provisions into the agreement that help your schedule work better.

The Repeating Cycle of Custody and Visitation

• This is the basic schedule of custody and visitation and it allocates the weekday and weekend time between the parents.
• If one parent has sole physical custody the children will live with that parent and visit the other parent.
• If parents have joint physical custody they usually split the time more evenly.
• Map out a schedule for a few weeks that shows when your child will be with each parent. Then, repeat this schedule throughout the year.

The Holiday Schedule

• This is the schedule that shows where the children will be on the holidays.
• Come up with a list of holidays you want to include in the schedule. Along with national holidays, you can include religious, school, and special family events in the holiday schedule.
• Go through the holidays and determine when the holiday starts and when it ends. For example, the holiday of Thanksgiving may extend through the four day weekend, or it could only be one day.
• You can also split some holidays in half so the child spends some time with both parents.
• Once the length is determined, the holidays should be equally distributed between the mother and father.
• You and the other parent can then decide how to alternate the holidays over the years.

Vacation Time

• You can schedule time for each parent to take the children on vacation by putting a specified or unspecified vacation into the custody schedule.
• A specified vacation gives the exact dates when the mother and father can take the children on vacation.
• An unspecified vacation puts a clause into the custody agreement or parenting plan that says the mother and father can take the children for so many days of the year provided they give enough notice to the other parent. An example of that would be "The mother and father can take the children for up to seven days twice a year for vacation. They must notify the other parent thirty days in advance in order to take the children."
• You can also make an alternative repeating cycle for vacation time. For example, a child may spend more time living with a non-custodial parent during summer and winter break.

Special Events

• A special event is any situation where the normal custody schedule changes. For example, a child may participate in a sport that has weekly games in the fall. During the season, you can switch the day or times of visitation to accommodate the games.
• Including special events in the calendar as soon as you know about them can make the schedule more clear.

Provisions that Affect the Custody Schedule

• Provisions are rules or stipulations that the parents agree to follow about different aspects of the custody situation.
• Provisions in the agreement can help the custody schedule run more smoothly. You should think about some provisions that can enhance you schedule and put them in the plan.
• Some example provisions include: how you and the other parent will make changes to the schedule, right of first refusal (the other parent gets the first chance to have the children if the parent who has custody can't take them), how to handle babysitters during parenting time, transportation for the exchanges of the child, etc.

Specific Information About Texas Schedules

• Texas parents must include a provision about how they will make future changes to the custody schedule.
• Parents are encouraged to work out a schedule they both agree on and submit it jointly to the court.
• If the mother and father struggle to figure it out, they should consider trying custody mediation to help them.
• If there is no way for the parents to come to an agreement, each parent should prepare the custody schedule they want the court to accept.
• Both parents will have the opportunity to present their schedule before the judge and to explain why that schedule is the best one for the child. The judge will then decide what the custody schedule will be.
• The judge doesn't have to accept either parent's schedule and can instead create an entire new schedule. Once the judge accepts a custody schedule it becomes part of the custody order and the parents must follow it.

How Custody X Change can Help

Custody X Change is custody software that lets you create a custody agreement or parenting plan. Since the custody schedule is such a major part of the agreement, with the software you can easily make each component of the schedule. This allows you to have a custom custody schedule that fits the needs of your child.

• Start building your schedule by creating a repeating cycle of custody. You can choose from a list of common cycles (alternating weeks, alternating weekends, alternating weekends with an overnight visit, etc.) or create a new, unique cycle.
• Look through a comprehensive list of holidays and choose what to include in your holiday schedule. Simply check the holidays you want (holidays can be added as well), set the times the holiday starts and ends, and assign the holidays to the mother and father.
• Add a specified or unspecified vacation to the schedule and custody agreement, and create different schedules for extended vacation periods (like summer break).
• View the exact time-share percentage that each parent has with the children. This helps you know exactly how much time you have with the children, and it helps you adjust the schedule to meet your needs.
• Easily make changes to the calendar by adding special events when the custody changes.
• Include important provisions in your agreement that impact the schedule. For example, you can include rules about transportation between exchanges, how the child's extra events will be handled, child care issues, etc.
• Print the documents for your schedule and your custody agreement. The documents include a calendar of the schedule, a written report of the schedule, a timeshare percentage report, and your included provisions.
• Track your custody schedule after you set it up. You can enter in the actual time of visitation, write notes about what happens during visitation, and print a report that shows the difference between scheduled and actual parenting time.
• Export all of your calendar and agreement information to Word, PDF, and Excel.
• Sync the calendar of your schedule to your Blackberry, iPhone, Palm/PDA, Outlook, Google Calendar, Yahoo Calendar, Windows Live, etc.

Custody X Change Helps Texas Parents

• Create a parenting plan in the child's best interest that the court will accept.
• Save money in legal fees by doing the work on your parenting plan and custody schedule yourself.
• Make a detailed custody and visitation schedule by exploring various options until you find a schedule that works for you and your child.
• Include important provisions about legal custody, modifying the plan for the future, resolving disputes, and anything else that helps the plan.
• Work together with the other parent to make a plan that everyone supports.
• Prepare example parenting plans for mediation so you and the other parent can decide what will work for you.
• Present a plan in court using the documents from the program to explain why the plan is the best one for the child.
• Pay or receive the right amount of child support by calculating it with an accurate timeshare percentage.
• Track the custody and visitation schedule so you know if it is being followed.
• Keep a custody journal about visitation and other matters.
• Modify the plan at any time and print new copies of the calendar and other reports.
• Have confidence that your schedule fulfills the needs of your child and allows you and the other parent to focus on the children.

You can get a free thirty day trial of Custody X Change by entering your name and email at the top of the page. Join the others in Texas who have found the easy way to make the best child custody schedule.

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Additional state custody schedule articles you might want to consider:

• Arizona Child Custody Schedule
• California Child Custody Schedule
• Florida Child Custody Schedule
• Georgia Child Custody Schedule
• Illinois Child Custody Schedule
• Massachusetts Child Custody Schedule
• Michigan Child Custody Schedule
• New Jersey Child Custody Schedule
• New York Child Custody Schedule
• North Carolina Child Custody Schedule
• Ohio Child Custody Schedule
• Pennsylvania Child Custody Schedule
• Texas Child Custody Schedule
• Virginia Child Custody Schedule
• Washington Child Custody Schedule

Two related article (not state-specific): Child Custody Schedule and Joint Child Custody.

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