Parenting Plan Tips for Parents Who Work Irregular Hours

 Posted on August 10, 2023 in Family Law Blog

Not everyone has a regular weekly work schedule. People who work in the healthcare sector or who are first responders may see their work schedule shifting frequently. The same may be true for workers who are away from home for weeks or days at a time, like long distance truckers. While children tend to thrive on consistency, routine scheduled visits may be impossible when a parent works irregular hours. However, spending time with both parents is likely to be in the child’s best interests even if it means that there will be a shifting schedule. Parents who have frequently changing work schedules or who work unusual hours must take care when creating a parenting plan to ensure that they will be able to enjoy as much time with their child as possible. It is important to work with an attorney who has experience representing first responders and other workers with varying schedules when you are getting divorced or establishing a child custody schedule. 

Tips for Planning Parenting Time and Parental Responsibilities 

Establishing a parenting plan can be hard when you do not have a consistent schedule. Some tips that may help as you create a parenting plan include: 

• Consider flexible scheduling - Do not attempt to create a tentative schedule you may not be able to stick to if your work hours change or you are sent out of town. There are strategies for creating a parenting time plan like setting a number of hours or days per week that each parent has visitation and allowing the parent with a challenging schedule to choose parenting time that works for them at the start of each week. 

• Plan for emergencies - If one of you is sometimes unreachable, it is important to make a plan for what should happen if there is an emergency involving the child that one parent cannot attend to right away. 

• Seasonal scheduling - If your profession has a busy season during which you may be away a lot, it might benefit you to arrange a parenting time calendar that varies seasonally with your employment. For example, a teacher may want to establish more visitation time in the summer when they are not working and less during basketball season when they are also coaching a team after school. 

Arranging a successful parenting plan when one parent works irregular hours can be challenging. It is important to discuss your unique situation with your divorce lawyer. 

Contact a Lombard Parenting Plan Attorney

A. Traub & Associates is committed to helping parents create effective parenting plans. Our dedicated Lombard parenting plan lawyers will strive to see that you get plenty of time with your children when you have it to spend with them. Call 630-426-0196 to arrange your initial consultation. 

Source:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-does-shift-work-irregular-scheduling-impact-custody-rites