To avoid frustration regarding visitation with your child and to avoid going back to court for costly modification orders, it is important to have very clear and specific provisions regarding visitation with your child such as the following:
*specific weekend provisions such as the 1st, 3rd, & 5th weekend versus the phrase “every other weekend”
*list of holidays, fall and spring breaks with an odd year and even year schedule versus “every other year” language
*consider adding yearly important dates that are not typically included in official holiday schedules such as Halloween, Veteran’s Day
*specific pick-up and drop-off times
*a minimum and maximum waiting period for scheduled visitation exchanges
*a prior notice time for exercising summer visitation, such as 1 month prior to the last day of school
*agreement on sharing information regarding school and extracurricular activities
*agreement on how to share the child for special events that conflict with visitation or custody such as weddings, funerals and family reunions
*specific agreement for sharing the child for the child’s birthday, parent’s birthday, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
*specific agreement regarding phone, social media and internet access with the child
*specific agreement regarding how conflicts in the visitation order are communicated and resolved, especially as the child ages and becomes more independent