While there are several important considerations involved in developing a post-divorce parenting plan in all situations, there are additional considerations involved when one parent will be moving away. If you and your spouse will not be living close to one another after your divorce, this is a factor that you will need to take into account when developing your parenting plan during the divorce process.
What to Consider When Developing a Long-Distance Parenting Plan During Your Divorce
What are the special considerations involved in developing a long-distance parenting plan during your divorce? Here are 10 examples for divorcing spouses in Arizona:
1. Travel Time
Travel time can play a key role in deciding what makes sense in terms of your routine parenting time schedule. For example, while it might make sense for parents who live close together to split parenting time each week, this might not be viable if traveling between homes means spending hours in a car or on an airplane. As with all aspects of developing a post-divorce parenting plan, deciding how to manage the travel involved with a long-distance parenting plan requires focusing on what is best for your children.
2. Travel Expenses
Travel expenses can be an important factor as well. The costs of gas and airplane tickets can add up quickly, and they can pose a substantial financial burden for many divorced parents. But, regardless of your financial circumstances, it will be important to ensure that you know who will be paying for your children’s travel so that this doesn’t become an issue after your divorce.
3. Travel Arrangements
Likewise, you will want to ensure that you know who will be responsible for making travel arrangements related to parenting time after your divorce as well. If you live (or will be living) in an area that gets snow or other bad weather, you will also want to ensure that your parenting plan includes appropriate contingency plans for situations when traveling isn’t an option.
4. Regular Parenting Time
Broadly speaking, there are two aspects to post-divorce parenting time: regular parenting time and special parenting time. Regular parenting time refers to your normal weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly schedule. As we mentioned above, as you think about your options for regular parenting time, it will be important to take travel time into account. There are a variety of options available for structuring regular parenting time; and, when you hire an experienced divorce lawyer to represent you, your lawyer will be able to help you consider the options that make the most sense for your specific circumstances.
5. Special Parenting Time
Special parenting time refers to post-divorce parenting rights during holidays, birthdays, and other special events. Oftentimes, neither parent will want to stick to their regular parenting schedule for these types of events, as this will often mean missing out unequally or too often. This can be a particular issue with long-distance parenting plans.
Divorcing parents have a variety of options for addressing special parenting time—from alternating holidays to alternating years. When significant travel is involved, some parents may want to consider co-parenting for special events as well. Here too, the key is to focus on your specific circumstances and focus on developing a plan that reflects your children’s best interests.
6. Virtual Visits
Along with considering regular parenting time and special parenting time, parents who are developing a long-distance parenting plan may want to consider including virtual visits as well. Virtual visits involve more than just talking on the phone—these are structured and regularly-scheduled video calls when a parent who is far away gets to spend meaningful time with their children.
Virtual visits can involve reading, playing games, helping with homework, watching a movie, or just about anything else that can be done remotely. Incorporating virtual visits into a long-distance parenting plan can be a good option for maintaining frequent contact without the need for quite as much travel.
7. Age-Related Considerations
Age-related considerations can play a particularly important role in long-distance parenting plans. For example, while older children may be able to travel on their own, younger children will need a parent with them at all times. Similarly, while reading bedtime stories may be a good option for virtual visits with younger children, parents may need to modify their virtual visits as their children grow older.
8. Emergencies
In all cases, divorcing parents will want to make plans for how they will address child-related emergencies. When parents won’t be living close together after their divorce, this presents some additional considerations. Along with addressing how they will handle emergencies at each parent’s home, divorcing parents who are developing a long-distance parenting plan should address how they will handle emergencies during travel as well.
9. Communication
Similarly, while being able to communicate effectively is important for all divorced parents, it is especially important for those who will be dealing with travel and other long-distance issues. If you and your spouse are not currently on speaking terms, or if every conversation turns into a fight, it will be important to establish parameters for discussing child-related issues after your divorce.
10. Future Plans
Finally, when developing a long-distance parenting plan during the divorce process, it is important to consider your (or your spouse’s) future plans as well. Do either of you have plans to move (or move again) in the future? If so, is this something that you can (and should) address now?
Your children’s future plans can come into play as well. For example, if your children might become more involved with sports or other activities, or if your children will start driving while your parenting plan is in place, these types of changes could have a major impact on your long-distance parenting plan. Ultimately, the key is to ensure that you are making informed decisions with your children’s long-term best interests in mind.
Schedule a Free Initial Divorce Consultation at Weingart Family Law in Phoenix, AZ
Do you need to know more about the considerations involved in developing a long-distance parenting plan during a divorce in Arizona? If so, we invite you to get in touch. To schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced Phoenix divorce lawyer, please call 480-542-0099 or contact us online today.