We are frequently asked by parents about a "standard" or "normal" access schedule. Is there such a thing?
Not really ~ access schedules vary with families, the parents' work commitments and the child's/children's needs but there are some patterns (assuming parents are not sharing the children's residence), for example:
1. Alternating weekends, with a mid-week visit. Here, there may be variations as to:
a. the beginning and end of the weekend access (eg: Friday after school or Saturday morning (for the start) and Sunday evening or Monday morning at school (for the end);
b. the duration and frequency of the mid-week access - it may be an overnight or just dinner, for example. It may also be limited only to weeks which do not end with the access parent's weekend.
2. alternating Saturdays and Sundays (with the parents sharing each weekend but alternating as to the day);
There are a number of other variations of the above themes, depending on each family's needs. The keys to making any access arrangement work, for the children and the parents, are: open minds, good faith, patience and a recognition that children must never be caught up in disputes between their parents.
Not really ~ access schedules vary with families, the parents' work commitments and the child's/children's needs but there are some patterns (assuming parents are not sharing the children's residence), for example:
1. Alternating weekends, with a mid-week visit. Here, there may be variations as to:
a. the beginning and end of the weekend access (eg: Friday after school or Saturday morning (for the start) and Sunday evening or Monday morning at school (for the end);
b. the duration and frequency of the mid-week access - it may be an overnight or just dinner, for example. It may also be limited only to weeks which do not end with the access parent's weekend.
2. alternating Saturdays and Sundays (with the parents sharing each weekend but alternating as to the day);
There are a number of other variations of the above themes, depending on each family's needs. The keys to making any access arrangement work, for the children and the parents, are: open minds, good faith, patience and a recognition that children must never be caught up in disputes between their parents.
Amedeo Modigliani - Seated Woman in Blue Dress - 1918
