Simply because you and your former spouse go through with a divorce does not mean that you will be out of each other’s lives forever. That is, you and your former spouse may be indefinitely tied to one another if you share a child in common. This is even more so relevant if the New York family court has ordered you and your former spouse to follow a joint custody agreement. Understandably so, there may be growing pains when initially adopting this new family dynamic. Read on to discover how you and your former spouse may avoid conflicts within your arrangement and how a seasoned New York City child custody attorney at Zimmet Law Group, P.C. can step in when needed.
How is a custody agreement arranged?
It is typical for the New York family court to arrange a joint custody order, as it believes it is in the child’s best interest to keep contact and maintain a relationship with both parents. Further, the court may order both joint legal custody and joint physical custody.
For one, the way joint legal custody works is that you and your former spouse will make major decisions about your child’s life together (i.e., education, religion, healthcare, etc). For example, the court may require you to get your former spouse’s approval before enrolling your child at a school of a certain religious denomination.
Secondly, the way joint physical custody works is that your child will live with both you and your former spouse for substantial amounts of time. With this, the court may establish a detailed parenting schedule. For example, it may order for your child to stay with you for two weeks and then with your former spouse for the next two weeks. Or, it may order your child to live with you for four days out of the week and with your former spouse for the remaining three days.
How can my former spouse and I avoid conflicts within our joint custody arrangement?
You and your former spouse may not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, which is likely what prompted your divorce in the first place. However, you must remind yourselves that what you do have in common is a great love for your child. Therefore, to avoid conflicts within your joint custody arrangement, you must put your differences aside and work with your child’s best interest at the top of your mind.
For instance, you can make it a point to return your child to your former spouse on time for their scheduled parenting time. You can also avoid undermining their authority and instead follow through with the disciplinary actions and daily routines that you agreed to implement across households. And if you wish to edit any of your arrangements down the lines, you can be open to negotiation and adopt respectable communication.
If these conflicts ever escalate, however, it is best that you first consult with one of the competent New York City family law attorneys. So please contact us at Zimmet Law Group, P.C.
