Dividing Parenting Time
Divvying up your parenting time is a difficult task you will face as a co-parent. When it comes to spending time with your child, you want to defend your rights and ensure you get all the time you are entitled to. Vacation time in particular is important if you do not have physical custody. This may be the only uninterrupted time you get with your child, and you want to make the most of it. As a parent with parenting time rights, or rights to visitation, it is important to know how much time you are entitled to. Only by knowing this can you ensure you are spending as much time with your child as possible.
Your custody order and parenting plan that includes your parenting time schedule will determine how much time you are entitled to. Sometimes the language in these documents is purposefully vague to allow the parents to create flexibility in scheduling their parenting time throughout the year. And, if you do not have a parenting time schedule already in place, it may be unclear just how much time you are entitled to and when you can take it.
Appropriate Parenting Time
The legal standard for granting parenting time rights to a parent without physical custody is however much time is appropriate and healthy for the child. Appropriate parenting time will depend entirely upon the circumstances of your case, especially when it comes to vacation time entitlements. Your schedule, the other parent’s schedule, your child’s school and activity schedule, and your vacation availability will be guiding factors when figuring out how much vacation time is appropriate. A common amount of appropriate vacation time for a parent with parenting time rights is one or two uninterrupted weeks during the child’s school break. You may have more or less if you have an agreement with the other parent or a standing court order. If you cannot agree with the other parent on the matter, you will have to take it to court or custody mediation. The judge will grant you parenting time after considering the child’s best interests.
Spending adequate time with your child is important. This is even truer when it comes to vacations. Consult with an experienced New Jersey child custody attorney if you have questions about your rights to parenting time. Exercising those rights is important for both you and your child. An attorney can advise you of your rights and help you draft a parenting time schedule that can protect them.
Do you have questions about your parenting rights? The skilled attorneys at Williams Law Group, LLC can advise you of your rights and ensure they are protected. Located in Union, New Jersey, Williams Law Group, LLC provides compassionate and dedicated legal services to Union, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties, and the surrounding areas. Our knowledgeable attorneys handle divorce and family law, child custody, and child abuse/neglect cases. Call our office at (908) 810-1083, email us at info@awilliamslawgroup.com, or contact us through our confidential online form to schedule a consultation and ultimately get you connected with an experienced New Jersey divorce and child custody attorney.