The realities of a Utah divorce often require the parties to give up the marital home. It is often more financially advantageous for the parties to sell the home, split the proceeds and find another place to live. Unfortunately, this could mean that a child will not have as much access to both parents as the parties would prefer. Fortunately, a plan to deal with relocation can be built into a child custody agreement.
A Utah couple can take as much time as they need to create a parenting plan that accomplishes both short term and long-term goals. For instance, couples with young children can include provisions in the agreement that accommodate the growth of the child. A child that is 2 years old or younger may not understand a lengthy visit away from his or her primary caregiver. Therefore, visits may have to be shorter, which could mean that one parent will have less time with the child.
However, as the child ages, the parenting plan can include increasingly longer visits between the child and the other parent. In the early years, it may make more sense for the non-custodial parent to do the bulk of the traveling as well since it may be easier on the parent than the child. The parties can include any agreed upon arrangements — including certain financial considerations — in the plan.
A couple’s child custody agreement can be as broad or specific as the parties need it to be in order to be considered fair and equitable to each of them. So long as none of its provisions violate public policy or current laws, a judge will most likely approve the arrangements upon which the parties are able to agree. In the end, it is the best interests of the child that are paramount.
Source: freep.com, “Helping kids cope with post-divorce move“, Helena Oliviero, July 8, 2015