Divorce can be hard on the young ones in your family. Fortunately, if you and your ex-spouse have decided to co-parent the kids, each of you can focus on their best interests. For an effective co-parenting relationship, however, you must also take steps to minimize conflict.
At the beginnings and ends of your scheduled parenting time, you must exchange the kids with their other parent. Not every place makes a good custody hand-off location, though. Here are some tips for choosing the best place to exchange your kids.
Focus on the kids
The end of parenting time can be hard on children. After all, they must relocate from one household to the other, leaving behind their toys, activities, beds and you.
When you are designating an exchange site, consider choosing one that has something exciting for the kids. An ice cream shop, playground or arcade may be good options.
Remain neutral
Even if you are ok with the end of your marriage, you may not be ready to see your ex-spouse’s new living arrangements. Your former partner may be in the same boat.
Therefore, rather than exchanging the kids at either co-parent’s home, opt for a neutral location. Somewhere equidistant from your and your ex-spouse’s home probably makes sense.
Think about safety
The safety of your children is paramount in any custody exchange. Accordingly, when picking a hand-off location, consider all possible safety risks.
Remember, a site that is perfectly acceptable during most of the year may become untenable in Mesa’s hot summer months.
Be flexible
If you include the custody hand-off site in your parenting plan, you set reasonable expectations. Nevertheless, a hand-off site may become inconvenient or otherwise unacceptable over time. By being flexible with the exchange location, you can pick a new site.
Working collaboratively with your ex-spouse is a sure-fire way to avoid conflict in your co-parenting relationship. Still, you do not want to leave your custody exchange site to chance. By prioritizing your kids interests and thinking proactively, you can choose the right location to hand-off your kids when your scheduled parenting time begins and ends.