You and your spouse are getting a divorce. While your home, vehicle and other assets are important matters when going through the divorce process, and may take some time to discuss, you’re likely thinking about your children more than anything, as any caring parent would. You and your spouse won’t likely be living under the same roof very soon and that means you’ll have to make some decisions for the best interest of your child.
You and your spouse will likely have to make a child custody order and working with your spouse is frequently the courts’ preferred method. But, you don’t know where to start when planning out a custody arrangement, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Here’s what you can start with when making a custody order:
What to keep in mind when talking to the other parent
As stated above, the court often wants both parents to work together when planning a custody order, figuring it’s in the best interest of the parents’ child. So, if your spouse is willing to set aside their differences, you may find there are a few key factors that can help ease the arrangement process.
For starters, you should keep a cool and calm head when planning the order. Getting emotional during this time can make the conversation difficult, and this goes without saying for the other parent too.
While it’s easy to start making demands on how the child custody order should be made, you may also need to keep in mind that your spouse will likely want to see their child as much as you and still have autonomy over their parenting decisions.
Common questions when making a custody arrangement
When you get down to making the custody arrangement, you’ll likely be flustered over all of your decisions and focus on too many small details rather than the big picture – the happiness and well-being of your child. You may consider focusing on a few key questions:
- When will you and your spouse have visitation?
- Where will your child go to school?
- What will your child’s diet be?
- Will your child have a religious upbringing?
It may be important to know that many decisions can be easily made after deciding on physical and legal custody of your child. When planning out a child custody order, you may need to reach out for legal help to answer more of your questions.