Many parents both want to be involved in raising their children after they divorce. Shared parenting can be an ideal solution for these parents because in a shared parenting arrangement both parents share the responsibilities of the children. This type of arrangement also lets the kids maintain positive relationships with both their mother and father.

Shared parenting, also called joint custody and shared custody, requires that parents create a solid custody schedule. Often this is the most difficult part of this arrangement because there can be confusion trying to make the calendar equal between the parents. Creating the custody schedule requires a great deal of work.

Complications can arise when parents are trying to make a custody schedule that gives both parents equal time. Many times the standard schedules of parents alternating weeks, every two weeks or every other month doesn’t work because of the children’s school schedule or the distance of the houses of the parents. In these cases the parents need to try something different.

There are solutions when children need more stability during school year and the parents don’t live close enough to switch custody that often. The easiest thing to do is to make a schedule where one parent has the majority of custody time during the school year–then make up the time the other parent lacks in other places. There are several options where the parents can make up the time.

One place the parents can even out the time is with the summer vacation months. For example, if during the school year one parent has custody during the week and the other parent has a visit during the week and custody on the weekends, the parents can switch that schedule in the summer. This would balance out the time.

The other places to look for equalizing the time are the other school holidays. The custody schedule can be more flexible during winter and spring breaks. When the children have other days off from school the parent with less custody time can have longer weekends with them or extended visitation.

Because setting up a schedule can get so complicated, many parents invest in a computer software that allows them to set up different schedules. This can be a good idea because the program can display the percentage of time that each parent has with the child so the parents can figure out how to balance everything out.

Shared parenting is a great way for parents to both participate in raising their children. There are many ways to create a shared parenting schedule and parents should work until they find a schedule that fits their needs. Once this is done they can relax and enjoy their parenting.