Advisory Guidelines - Standard Visitation
Schedule with Forms
WHEN PARENTS ARE UNABLE TO SHIELD THEIR CHILDREN FROM
THEIR CONFLICT, OR WHEN THERE ARE SAFETY ISSUES RESULTING
FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SERIOUS PHYSICAL OR MENTAL
ILLNESS, CHRONIC NEGLECT, CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY OR
ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE, THE ADVISORY GUIDELINES AND
VISITATION SCHEDULES NEED TO BE MODIFIED.
A: INTRODUCTION:
Pursuant to House Bill 2528, codifed at 4 O.S. §111.1A, the
Administrative Director of the Courts was tasked by the Oklahoma
Legislature to develop standard visitation schedules and advisory guidelines.
Assistance for this project was solicited from the Oklahoma Bar
Association/Family Law Section....and an ad hoc committee was created.
Upon initial review, which greatly relied upon Doug Loudenback's
survey work of visitation schedules 1
throughout the state, it became clear
there is no clear consistent formula which controls parent/child relationships
in family law cases across the spectrum. 2
Some may argue that there are
simply too many variables to factor into a visitation schedule, which has as
its end goal "the best interest of the child". 4
Others ask for a “statewide”
1
This information is located on Mr Loudenback's web site in the Family Law Resources
2
Current county-wide schedules (where they exist in either an official or a "typical" fashion), do not
indicate any reasonable amount of consistency from county to county, or, upon occasion, within counties
from individual judge-to-judge. This lack of consistency is reminiscent of child support orders prior to the
adoption of the child support guidelines. While the Legislature has not yet deemed it desirable that there
be some consistency, it might be reasonably inferred that the 2004 Legislation has at least some
presupposition that the same would be desirable, even if not required. From a "legal" perspective, there
doesn't appear to be a substantive rationale that parents and children should be treated differently from
county to county, and, often, from judge to judge within the same county (noting that in some counties,
e.g., Comanche, different judges have specific different schedules, presumably likewise true in Tulsa
County which has no quasi-official standard at all). Aside from equal treatment issues, and getting down
to the personal/family level, one obvious circumstance that calls for some uniformity is the fact that,
following a large number of failed marriages, one and often both parents remarry and that the "new"
families often involve multiple sets of step-parent circumstances within the same families. In other words,
it is not uncommon, in a "current" context, that 4 parents are involved, including 2 pairs of "step parents",
and 2 pairs of step children. In such circumstances, some semblance of uniformity would ordinarily be
desirable given the blending of multiple sets of parents and children.
3
4 O.S. §111.1, 112, 112.2, 114. OBA/FLS Practice Manual, Chap 6.1, §6.1.7.
Guardianship of Sherle , 198 OK CIV APP, 684 P.2d 78 (visitation is to contribute to a child's
emotional well-being by enabling the partial continuation of an earlier established
1
standard visitation schedule. Some variables were unexpected, e.g. what to
call contact with children. Discussion revolved around custody/visitation,
custodial/non-custodial, parenting time and parenting plans. While the
Committee's consensus was that courts should allocate parenting time
between parents in family law matters, the phrase "visitation" was selected
since no legislative change of language was directed.
Prior to the adoption of 4 O.S. §111.1A, 4 O.S. §111.1 has required,
since 9/1/1990, that, "Any order providing for the visitation of a noncustodial
parent with any of the children of such noncustodial parent shall provide a
specifed minimum amount of visitation between the noncustodial parent
and the child unless the court determines otherwise." Further, the history of
that statute's modifcation is indicative of a policy to provide "more
visitation" than such a "specifed minimum amount" (beginning with and
since the 1990 revision).
Some on the Committee believed that the objective of §111.1A is an
unspoken assumption that at least some degree of uniformity from county-to-county,
judge-to-judge, is desirable, if not the "goal" of this statute.
Nevertheless, the following principles were adopted and used for
guidance by the Committee on this quest:
1. Children do best when both parents have a stable and
meaningful involvement in their children's lives.
2. Each parent has diferent and valuable contributions to
make to their children's development.
4. Absent a showing of harm, children should have structured,
routine time as well as unstructured time with each parent.
. Parents who can mutually agree on visitation schedules,
and who can agree to be fexible, should be given a preference
over court-imposed solutions.
5. Divorced/Separated Parents have inherent obligations
towards their children, including:
! avoiding open confict with each other in the
presence of their children;
relationship).
4
For example, "divorce" became "dissolution of marriage" in 2002.
! helping their children maintain positive existing
relationships, routines and activities;
! communicating and cooperating with each
other in arranging children's activities;
! maintaining and sharing full and complete
access to all medical and school records and maintaining
direct contact with personnel working with or caring for
their children;
! maintaining consistent rules and values in both
households to create a sense of security for children of any
age;
! allowing children to bring personal items back
and forth between homes, no matter who purchased the
items; and
! adjusting visitation schedules over time as
each family member's needs, schedules and circumstances
change.
To the extent that one’s philosophical goals are diferent from those of
the Committee, then disputes on the outcomes will exist. One concept seems
certain: visitation schedules must necessarily be tailored to each family's
dynamics; therefore, these criteria are only guidelines for each trial attorney
and judge to consider in each case.
B. STANDARD VISITATION SCHEDULE FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE
AGE OF FIVE (5) YEARS.
Psychological research-based information about the general needs of
children at various stages of early years development is hotly debated. It
was previously believed that infants formed a singular and exclusive
attachment to one primary caregiver during the frst year of life. Mental
health professionals cautioned parents that disrupting this exclusive
caregiver-child bond could cause lifelong adjustment problems. With this in
mind, the notion of infant overnights away from the primary caregiver was
rejected, without considering individual situations.
The most recent research now questions these notions. Now it is
believed that infants form multiple and simultaneous attachments between
six and nine months of age. In situations were both parents have been
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regularly involved with all aspects of caregiving and the child has formed an
attachment to both parents, the previous restrictions on overnights should
be reconsidered. After all, one objective to an infant parenting plan should
be to help children forge a meaningful relationship with both parents. No
research supports a given number of hours or days that children should
spend with each parent.
Therefore, the key factor in creating an appropriate infant visitation
schedule is to determine the ability and willingness of each parent [present
and historical with this child] to learn basic care giving skills such as feeding,
changing and bathing a young child; to diagnose and treat common infant
illness; and to demonstrate the ability to maintain an infant’s basic sleep,
feeding and waking cycle. 5
Further, other factors (beside parental responsibility and involvement)
to consider include:
! age of child;
! parent work schedules; and
! geographical distance between parent homes.
Finally, fathers are just as capable of parenting infants as are mothers.
It is not the sex of the parent that is the issue, but rather a parent’s desire to
be [and history of actually being] responsibly involved in the care and
development of their child.
The following information is divided into age groupings based upon
developmental norms. However, parents should remember that each child
must be seen as an individual. Children develop at varying speeds,
depending upon many things such as individual temperament, place in the
family, and outside events that afect their lives.
0. Birth to Nine Months:
Infants learn at a rapid rate. They learn to love and trust familiar
caregivers. Infants attach to parents and others through consistent, loving
responses such as holding, playing, feeding, soothing, talking gently and
meeting their needs promptly.
5
In creating an infant visitation schedule, it is certainly appropriate to require a parent to
attend and successfully complete a new born/infant parenting class as a way to measure
his/her commitment.
Infants should have frequent contact with both parents – and a
predictable schedule and routine. Infants have a very limited capacity to
remember an absent parent, thus the frequency of the contacts is the focus
of the frst two time frames.
At about six months, infants begin to recognize their parents and other
caregivers and within the next few months some may become uneasy
around strangers. Infants trust regular caregivers to recognize their signals
for food, comfort and sleep. Infants may become anxious and may
experience eating and sleeping problems when they are with less familiar
others.
Visits several times weekly with non-custodial parents is recommended
for this age. These visits should provide ample opportunity for such care-
giving functions as feeding, playing, bathing, soothing and putting the infant
to sleep, whether for a nap or for the night. These visits will help non-
custodial parents maintain and build familiarity between themselves and the
infant.
If a non-custodial parent has not been involved in caregiving
previously, short visits of several hours every few days will help to develop a
mutually secure relationship, allowing the parent to master the tasks and
sensitivity required to care for an infant. As the caregiving skills are
mastered and the parent-child bond strengthens, the visitation should be
expanded.
Non-custodial parents of children this age who have been active,
involved caregivers may begin overnights, preferably in familiar
surroundings. 6
To develop a healthy attachment to both parents, an infant should not
be away from either parent for more than a few days. Many infants
demonstrate a caregiver preference. Extended separation from that primary
caregiver should be avoided.
Lastly, communication between parents about the baby is essential for
good infant adjustment. A daily communication log should be maintained
and exchanged between the parents noting eating, sleeping, diapering,
medicine schedules and any new developments.
6
Parents’ schedules should be adjusted to limit disruption of the infant’s routine. In
creating visitation schedules for this age group, parents should consider the special needs of
breast feeding infants. Breast pumping or supplemental formula alleviates the need for
shortened visitation periods.
5
1. Nine to Eighteen Months:
Between the ages of nine and eighteen months, the transition from
infant to toddler gradually takes place. There is great and rapid skill
development, including motor accomplishments (crawling, standing and
walking), communication from sounds and smiles to simple words, and
beginning expressions of simple emotions (hugs, kisses, anger, fear and
anxiety).
Predictability and consistency remain important. Babies can respond to
multiple nurturing caregivers if there is sensitivity to their cues and needs,
and regularity in their waking, eating and sleeping schedules. Babies may
continue to express fear and anxiety if a familiar caregiver is not there to
comfort them.
It is important for each parent to have the opportunity to:
! Participate in daily routines such as feeding, bathing, napping,
playing;
! Have frequent contact with the child. Separations of more
than three or four days from either parent will interfere with a
healthy attachment to that parent.
! Establish similar routines in each home by creating a
communication log to be shared between the parents that
describes the child’s daily experiences.
When both parents are working outside the home and a child is with a third-
party caregiver during the workday, parents should split the weekend and
consider an additional one or two overnights with the non-custodial parent
during the week as well as other mid-week contact. Although this is quite
workable if the non-custodial parent was “hands on” with childcare 7
, parents
should remain sensitive to the child’s response to several caregivers and
multiple transitions.
2. Eighteen to Thirty-six Months:
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A new parent’s family support is helpful to determine. If ,on the one hand, a parent
continually “dumps” the infant of on a grandmother, he/she may not be developing a strong
bond with the child, establishing the necessary skill to recognize the child’s signals for care,
or mastering the tasks required in caring for a baby. On the other hand, having a
grandparent in the background can provide a “safety net” while a new parent learns these
skills.
This developmental period is one of rapid physical, emotional and
social change. Toddlers are becoming more aware of the world around them.
They may have formed attachments to caregivers (i.e. parents,
grandparents, day care providers, close family friends). They are beginning
to trust that their caregivers will meet their physical and emotional needs.
They are becoming more independent and are developing the ability to
comfort themselves (i.e. favorite blanket, toy or thumbsucking).
Healthy children of this age are “full of themselves” and may express
their independence by saying “no” to requests and demands. Some children
at this age may become fearful of separations, so that transitions between
homes may be difficult. Some children may cling to a parent or cry at the
separation from one or both parents. Resistance to exchanges is normal for
many children. This behavior does not necessarily mean that the other
parent is not a good parent or that the child does not want to be with one
parent or the other.
If parents share driving, it is sometimes easier for children if the parent
they are with drops them of to the other parent. This will avoid interrupting
ongoing activities that sometimes occur when a parent comes to pick up the
child, and it signals parental support for the transition. Maintaining routine
schedules and supporting the relations with the other parent can make
exchanges easier. Toddlers are particularly sensitive to tension, anger and
violence in the parental relationship .
It is important that each parent have the opportunity to become
competent and comfortable in all aspects of the child’s daily routine. This
includes bathing, feeding, napping, playing, reading, and arranging age-
appropriate activities with other children.
If a parent-child bond is developed due to mastery of caregiving skills,
the overnights spaced throughout the week is preferable, particularly if
dealing with an only child. Further, the child should be able to be away from
either parent for two or three days. Depending upon the child’s
temperament, parenting may be shared on a reasonably equal basis.
Daily telephone contact at a regular time may be reassuring to both
the child and the absent parent. It can be very helpful that as soon as
children are old enough to memorize and dial a parent’s phone number, they
initiate the phone call to his/her other parent at scheduled times. Further,
keeping a picture of the absent parent in the child’s room is benefcial.
Another option is to provide the child with a “going back and forth book”
which contains pictures of both families, pets, important contact numbers
and a calendar of events.
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3. Three to Five years:
Children in the pre-school years experience a tremendous number of
developmental changes. Parents must adjust to accommodate their
children’s new development, while keeping in mind that pre-schoolers
continue to require guidance and support.
Three to fve year olds think they are the center of the universe. They
tend to be impulsive and very concrete in their thinking. Nightmares are
normal at this age as children become able to imagine frightening things, but
have difficulty coping with their fears. They may say what they believe the
parent wants to hear. It is important to remember that this does not
necessarily refect the child’s real experience. If the child reports parental
behavior that causes concern, discuss the matter with the other parent to
resolve misunderstandings.
If one parent was minimally involved in the child’s daily routine, a few
days each week including a full weekend day will allow the relationship and
caregiving skills to develop. As the child becomes more comfortable moving
between two homes, additional time and one or two overnights may be
added.
If both parents are working outside the home at the time of separation
and the child is in day care, parents might consider splitting each weekend
so the child has one full stay-at-home day and overnight with each parent
every week, as well as some weekday contact. While this may not be the
best solution for the parents, it is helpful to many young children in the early
stages of separation.
If one parent is primarily at home with the child, the visitation schedule
may ofer the other parent more weekend time, in addition to some weekday
contact.
Some parents may fnd that an every-other-weekend schedule with
midweek contact works well.
C. STANDARD VISITATION SCHEDULE FOR CHILDREN FIVE (5)
THROUGH SEVENTEEN (17) YEARS.
0. Weekend time sharing:
Visitation for this age of child should generally not interrupt the regular
school hours of the child. 8
Further, most the work schedules of most parents
coincide with their children’s school schedules, i.e. Monday - Friday.
Therefore, for most parents quality parenting time is devoted to evenings
and weekends. Current visitation schedules in use defne weekends as
either:
1. Limited, i.e. Friday at 6:00 pm to Sunday at 6:00 pm
("limited weekend"), or
2 Expanded, i.e. Friday after school or day care until Monday
morning return to school of day care ("expanded weekend").
Both concepts have merit. However, factors such as:
! age of child;
! parent work schedules, and ability to be with the child after
school;
! geographical distance between parent homes;
! parental responsibility, involvement, etc.
can dictate which weekend scheme is best to use. All things being equal, the
expanded weekend is preferred, for it allows additional parent/child time and
involvement by the parent who has visitation. Further, it creates a
mechanism for "confict free" exchanges -- because the parents do not have
to be "face-to-face" at the visitation exchange place. 9
However, if a parent's
work schedule (i.e. work begins at 5:00 am) or geographical distance (i.e.
parent lives 50 miles from school) creates a difficulty, then a Sunday evening
8
With virtually every statement concerning children, there are exceptions. For example,
it's generally not the "end of the world" if occasionally a visitation occurs that requires an
early departure from school. How many married parents, for example, have removed a child
early from school to begin a long holiday trip? However, if the child is failing a school subject
then generally parents try not to further impact the child by having him/her miss school time
in their struggling subject.
9
This is not to say that school/day care visitation exchanges are always "confict free". A
parent at any time can make any child visitation exchange a confict. When that happens,
the Court should take corrective actions to stop. Further, "confict free" exchanges can occur
by other means, i.e. using a child visitation registry facility or police department. However,
children are perceptive and can wonder why they have to go through a "Checkpoint Charley
hostage exchange". Further, the parties can facilitate a staggered child exchange outside of
a school or day care setting, e.g. Father drops of at 5:40 pm and Mother picks up at 6:00
pm at an extended family member's home.
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return time is best. Lastly, if a parent demonstrates irresponsibility or lack of
involvement, ( i.e. unable to complete homework on his/her weekend, unable
to prepare and/or timely return the child to school on time Monday morning,
etc.) then a Sunday evening visitation return will probably operate in the
child's best interest.
All current visitation schedules provide for alternating weekend sharing
between parents. Some schedules provide further clarity by stating the 1 st
,
4 rd
and 5 th
weekends in a month will be visitation weekends for the non-
custodial parent. Under this type of wording, virtually anyone can look at a
calendar and tell you who has which weekend with the children.
When a parent's work schedule is such that he/she does not have
weekends of work, then it is recommended that visitation, as much as
possible, be structured around both the children's school schedule and the
parent's particular work schedule.
Lastly, in using the limited weekend schedule, there is nothing magical
about 6:00 p.m. exchange times. Exchange times should be established
factoring in children ages, family practices and activities, geographical
distance, etc. For example, if a child is involved in Sunday evening activities,
(i.e. youth activities at church; Sunday evening family dinners; Sunday night
banjo practice, etc.) then Sunday evening exchanges may well occur after
the activity is concluded, instead of at 6:00 p.m. so that the parent
exercising visitation may participate in that activity of the child. Likewise, if a
custodial parent is involved in a Sunday evening bowling league, then it may
make sense to structure visitation exchanges upon completion of bowling.
Further if one parent is chronically late in making exchanges, then
picking up children directly from Sunday evening activities (i.e. at the
conclusion of banjo practice) avoid this point of frustration.
1. Midweek time sharing:
Most current visitation schedules do not provide for midweek
visitations. However, that is not to say they do not exist. Some courts will
provide for midweek visitation and call their schedules "expanded visitation".
As with weekends, midweek visitation have been defned as either:
1. Limited, i.e. Wednesday from 5:40 pm to 8:40 pm ("limited
midweek"), or
2 Expanded, i.e. Wednesday after school or day care until
Thursday morning return to school of day care ("expanded
midweek").
Both concepts have merit. Again, factors such as:
! age and maturity of child;
! school and parent activities;
! parental cooperation and communication;
! parent work schedules;
! geographical distance between parent homes;
! parental responsibility, involvement, etc.
can dictate if and if so, which midweek scheme is best to use.
Limited midweek visitations can provide frequent and continuing
contact for parent and child. For a younger children who simply "misses" the
other parent due to the length of time between visitations, a limited
midweek visitation may be very helpful. A midweek visitation could be
centered around an activity, e.g. Mother and son attending Tuesday evening
Taekwondo class or Father and daughter attending Wednesday evening
church activities, etc.
Further, midweek visitations can be helpful in reunifcation plans or in
multiple children families, for it can allow activity-focused interaction
between parent and child, i.e. Wednesday evening dinner between father
and daughter ... where both may feel awkward in flling the time otherwise,
or allow the non-custodial parent an opportunity to have “one-on-one” time
with a child each week. 10
Generally, if midweek visitation is authorized, it falls on a Tuesday,
Wednesday or Thursday. While there is nothing to prohibit diferent midweek
visitations, e.g. every Tuesday and Thursday evening or Tuesday one week
and Wednesday the next, such variations can require extreme
communication and coordination eforts between parents, as well as cause
confusion and uncertainly for children, i.e. unsure which parent is picking up
from school or day care, which parent is involved in what extracurricular
activity, which set of friends they can play with at night, etc.
The benefts of an extended midweek visitation are the same as for
extended weekend visitations. However, there is a further signifcant factor
that can dictate the use of an extended midweek visitation or the willingness
of a court to order it or a parent to participate in it -- MONEY . Often under a
standard visitation schedule, the inclusion of an extended (overnight)
midweek visitation will create a shared parenting deviation from the child
support guidelines. 4 O.S. § 118(E)(10). This result can have signifcant
10
Further, this type of arrangement could also be very benefcial when there are multiple
children having extreme diferences in ages or interests. For example, a teenage child may
not be interested in going to a "Wiggle" concert or movie with his/her four ( ) year old sister.
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economic impact on child support obligations, which is why some non-
custodial parents seek to have expanded midweek visitations and why
custodial parents generally oppose them. The impact of the shared parenting
deviation to the child support guidelines is beyond the scope of this task.
Therefore, other than to identify this obstacle, it will not be addressed
further.
2. Differing geograhhical residences:
Most current visitation schedules do not provide for long distance
visitation. Those that do, i.e. Grady County, Jackson County, Kay County,
Kingfsher County and Logan/Payne Counties, are not consistent with what
triggers long distance. In some schedules it’s 100 miles; in others, it’s 400
miles or "out of state". These types of defnitions are not particularly helpful.
In reality, the signifcant factors in a long distance visitation schedule are:
! where each parent lives;
! mode of travel and the expenses involved;
! where visitations occur;
! age and maturity of child;
! parental cooperation and communication; and
! parent work schedules;
First, it should be noted that 4 O.S. § 112.4 et. seq. requires that if the
principal residence of the child changes over seventy-fve (75) miles for a
period of sixty (60) days or more, either an express agreement between the
parents or approval by the court is required. Therefore, if a specifc mileage
distance triggers a long distance visitation schedule, logic would suggest
making the defning distance 75 miles. However, where each parent lives
and the mode of visitation travel are the key factors. For example, if one
parent lives in the Oklahoma City, OK area and the other parent lives in the
Dallas/Ft Worth, TX area, an alternating weekend visitation schedule could
be maintained by having the parties meet halfway (Ardmore, OK) or allowing
the children to fy between Oklahoma City and Dallas. However, if one parent
lives in Boise City, (Cimarron County) and the other parent lives in Miami,
(Ottawa County) Oklahoma, then an alternating weekend visitation schedule
probably will not be feasible -- for there is no good way to get from "here to
there". Thus travel time for both parents and children is the factor to
consider in determining if a Long Distance Visitation schedule should be
considered and if so, what types of visitation times are available -- in order to
make the trip worthwhile.
Mode of travel will also be a major factor in creating long distance
visitation schedules. Based on the age, comfort level of both children and
parents, and possible cost of tickets for a travel companion of a young child,
air travel can be a major factor in making frequent and continuing contact
between parents and children possible.
Another factor to consider in whether or not to create a long distance
visitation schedule is "where will the visitations occur". For example, parties
grow up and get divorced in Woodward, (Woodward County) Oklahoma. They
have a fve year old whose custody is awarded to Father. Mother relocates to
Denver, Colorado for employment purposes. Mother desires alternating
weekend visitation with child and is willing to return to Woodward every
other weekend to see her son and stay with her family. Simply because the
parents reside more than 75 miles apart and that no convenient
transportation methods exist between the parents home, these factors by
themselves do not justify prohibiting an alternating weekend visitation
schedule.
The age and maturity of a child (as well as any special needs a child
may have) all factor into how well a child travels. The better a child travels,
the easier it should be to allow increased contact between non-custodial
parent and child and vise versa .
When long distance travel is necessary for the continuation of a
parent/child interaction, parental cooperation and communication is essential
in the planning, preparing and execution of the visitation exchange.
Provisions should be incorporated regarding the planning and exchanging of
information. If half-way travel exchanges are intended, then clarity of
meeting place (hopefully with phone number), timing and contingent plans
should be clear. Parents, for example, should know each other's cell phone
numbers in order to communicate progress or problems. If airplanes are
being used for transportation, then tickets should be acquired sufficiently in
advance to avoid economic waste; fight information needs to be exchanged;
the children’s bags properly packed, etc. Long distance visitation plans
should have provisions for parents to communicate (i.e. non-custodial parent
to notify if not able to exercise visitation).
Specifc times for telephone visitation between parent and children
should be defned. Further, depending upon the economics and abilities of
the parents or children, web based communications (i.e. e-mail or web cam)
should be considered.
3. Holidays, including Friday and Monday holidays:
All current "standard" visitation schedules provide for the alternation of
holidays. Keys in establishing a holiday visitation schedule are:
! clearly identifying what "holidays" are being considered;
! age and maturity of child;
! parent work schedules; and
! family traditions.
Current visitation schedules difer greatly on what holidays to identify
and alternate between parents. Identifying certain "4-day holidays" like
Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day to alternate between parents can create a
situation wherein one parent or the other has several weekends in a row with
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the children. 11
To avoid this type of outcome, some visitation schedules
currently eliminate these holidays from rotation and let them fall, absent an
agreement to the contrary, to the parent who is regularly scheduled to have
the children that weekend.
Hopefully, parent work schedules and family traditions are factors the
parties can consider in creating a holiday visitation schedule. Some families
may attach certain signifcance to certain holidays. For example, if Father's
family always has a family reunion on Labor Day, then this family tradition
should be factor into a visitation schedule.
As with the discussions regarding limited and expanded weekends,
supra , if otherwise appropriate, including Friday and Monday federal and
state holidays, as well as school holidays (i.e. when school is out) in the
weekend of a non-custodial parent allows for opportunities to take "mini"
trips or otherwise plan for extended weekends together, without interruption.
4. Summer vacation break:
All current visitation schedules provide for some type of extended
visitation in the summer for the non-custodial parent. Most require the
parent to select their visitation time by a date certain (in order to assist with
the scheduling of summer activities). Absent some question of parental
responsibility or involvement with the children, the summer vacation break
should be equally divided between the parents. However, when the non-
custodial parent lives a signifcant distance from the custodial parent,
eliminating more frequent contact, court often award more than half of the
summer to the non-custodial parent.
5. Midterm school breaks:
Many current visitation schedules provided for the alternating of a
midterm school break (usually “Spring Break”) between the parties. Some
schedules provide for both “Spring Break” and “Fall Break” rotation between
the parents. Based on the school calendar where the child attends school,
Spring Break is generally a fve (5) day [Monday - Friday] length of time
when there is no school. Some visitation plans incorporate either a weekend
before or after the fve day break to establish a seven (7) day Spring Break.
Others add the weekends on both ends and create a ten (10) day long Spring
Break. Any defnition is acceptable, since whatever beneft or detriment that
occurs to one parent in one year will be switched and enjoyed by the other
parent next year. However, with a Spring Break defned as being ten (10)
days long, it is possible that a parent could have the children for every
weekend during the Spring Break month – typically March. Nevertheless, in a
long distance visitation schedule (especially, where child visitation with the
non-custodial parent is limited) a defnition of Spring Break lasting for ten
(10) days, could allow – or “justify” the exercise of infrequent, but expanded
visitation.
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This occurs because holiday visitation supercedes regular visitation.
6. Notice requirement and reasons for cancellations:
One of the best things parents can do to ensure successful child
visitation is to be on time and have children ready at exchange time. Failure
to accomplish this goal often results in frustrated parents and heated verbal
confrontations in front of children. Most parents would agree that scheduled
visitations should occur within a reasonable period of time from when they
are scheduled. A reasonable period of time has been defned by some courts
as within “20 or 40 minutes”. Nevertheless, when delays or emergencies
occur, parents should treat each other with respect and provide notice of
delays or cancellations, as soon as possible. Since cell phones are common
today, both parents should have each other’s cell phone numbers in order to
communicate in a timely fashion about visitation exchange matters. It should
be assumed that if a visitation exchange has been ordered by the court, it
will occur. Thus, notifcation should be directed to delays and/or
cancellations, not confrmations that an exchange will occur.
If one parent consistently demonstrates a disregard for timely
visitation exchanges or fails to appear altogether, then such matters can be
addressed to the court for correction.
Reasons for cancellations of visitation should be limited to
impossibilities of performance by a non-custodial parent and/or acute illness
of a child. Some reasons for cancellations could be an emergency
requirement of the non-custodial parent’s employment, transportation
problems of a non-custodial parent, or health or illness matters in the non-
custodial parent’s family or home. For example, if on the way to a visitation,
the non-custodial parent is involved in an automobile accident, it is unlikely
the child visitation can occur as scheduled. Or, if a child in the non-custodial
parent’s home has a contagious illness, it would certainly be inappropriate to
expose other children.
However, while these same reasons may justify a custodial parent’s
failure to accomplish a visitation exchange, visitation cancellations should be
the decision of the non-custodial parent, not the custodial parent. After all,
visitation is a signifcant time/event for most non-custodial parents. It is their
time with their children. Accordingly, the non-custodial parent should
determine if a visitation shall occur.
7. Transhortation and transhortation costs, including hick uh and
return.
Options on who provides visitation transportation and associated costs
are:
! non-custodial parent does all travel;
! custodial parent does all travel; or
! travel is allocated between parents.
Few current visitation schedules discuss transportation expense
allocation. However, a general rule of thumb is for the receiving parent to
15
pick up. This practice places the burden of transportation on the parent
wanting to see his or her children. Therefore, if a non-custodial parent wants
to exercise visitation, he/she becomes responsible for the transportation
necessary to pick up the children to begin visitation. In an expanded
weekend schedule, this translates into the non-custodial parent making
arrangements to pick up children from school or day care to begin visitation.
Likewise, if a custodial parent wants his/her children to return home at the
conclusion of a visitation, then he/she becomes responsible for their return.
Implicit in this rule of thumb is that visitation transportation occurs from
each parent’s home. This type of arrangement has the additional beneft of
not making a former spouse the “taxi” or “courier” for the other parent. Such
a perceived arrangement can create hostility between parents and otherwise
cause visitation compliance problems.
In long distance schedules, visitation transportation costs are often
proportionately divided between the parties based on a percentage of gross
income, such as employment related child care and uncovered medical
expenses for children. In some cases, arguments can be made that the
parent who moves away should bear the expense of long distance visitation
transportation. After all, the relocating parent is the one creating the burden.
However, in other cases where the move cannot be avoided, the costs of
visitation may be viewed as an incidental part of having parents living in
separate homes. Thus, a logical conclusion is to allocate the visitation costs
between both parents.
Finally questions can arise over who can provide visitation
transportation. Some parents want only the other parent to provide
transportation. In most situations, the preferred view is that any responsible
person (who has a valid driver’s license and proper child restraint in the
vehicle) with whom the child knows and is comfortable may provide
visitation transportation for a parent. Such persons could be extended
family, step-parents, family friends and neighbors.
8. Religious, school and extracurricular activities:
Current visitation schedules do not address religious, school and
extracurricular activities. Generally, these decisions reside with the custodial
parent. No court can compel a parent to take their children to specifc
religious activities or prohibit them from occurring, without a showing of
specifc harm. Which school the child attends and whether or not to home
school are left with the custodial parent to decide. Stephen v. Stephen , 1997
OK 54, 947 P.2d 92.
Finally, regarding extracurricular activities, parents should not make
any arrangements or commitments for their children that will involve the
other parent's time, efort, or expenses without frst obtaining agreement
from the other parent. Accordingly, parents, as much as possible, should
discuss all children’s activities, social functions, religious events, sports
activities, etc., with the other parent before enrolling, signing up or otherwise
taking any action.
9. Grandharent and relative contact:
Children beneft when both parents support contact with the children’s
grandparents and other extended family so the children do not experience a
sense of loss. Such contact for a parent’s family generally occurs when
he/she has parenting time with their children. Current grandparental
visitation rights are controlled by statute (10 O.S. 5) and by case law. Troxel
v. Granville , 540 U.S. 57, 65 (2000) and Neal v. Lee , 2000 OK 90, 1 P.4d
5 7.
10. The birthday of the child:
Current schedules do not address a child’s birthday. Factors to
consider when addressing a child’s birthday are:
! age of child;
! family traditions;
! geographical distance between parents; and
! interaction between parents.
Ideally, children’s birthdays should be celebrated by the parents
together, if possible. However, in many situations that is not an option. The
next best option would be for the child to be able to celebrate his/her
birthday with each parent in relatively close proximity to the birthday. Lastly,
if birthday celebrations are signifcant to each parent, then the child’s
birthday can be rotated between the parties like a specifc holiday.
11. Sibling visitation schedules:
Specifc sibling visitation is controlled by statute. Title 10 O.S. § 5A sets
forth specifc factors to consider in determining if sibling visitation is
appropriate. Further, in multiple children families, generally it is appropriate
to determine what other visitation schedules exist for half and/or step-
children in order to coordinate schedules so that all children can be together
at one time in a parent’s home. 12
Otherwise, all children within the same
family unit may have few opportunities to interact with each other.
12. Shecial Circumstances, including, but not limited to,
emergencies:
12
Such an arrangement presumes that all children within the family get along with each
other. Certainly, it is possible that children can despise each other so that they should not
be together.
17
Emergencies, by their very nature, are rare occurrences. When they
occur, most parents give great deference to the parent “in crisis” and seek
to fnd alternatives to allow parent/child interaction, as possible. However,
“emergencies” are often used to justify withholding access to the child. This
type of conduct should not be condoned by the courts.
Other special circumstances may include a parent’s birthday, family
traditions and practices. Both parties may want to ensure that certain
practices are maintained, e.g. annual family trip with grandparents, fshing
tournaments or hunting trips. A good way to ensure child access to parent
birthdays, family traditions and practices is to include such customs and
events in the child’s visitation schedule.
Lastly, special considerations should be given to each parent to make
the child available to attend family functions, including funerals, weddings,
family reunions, religious holidays, important ceremonies and other
signifcant events in the life of the child or in the life of either parent which
may inadvertently confict with the visitation schedule.
13. Other Standards:
Parents should always avoid speaking negatively about the other and
should frmly discourage such conduct by relatives or friends. In fact, the
parents should speak in positive terms about the other parent in the
presence of their children.
Each parent should encourage the children to respect the other.
Children should never be used to spy on the other parent.
Parents should establish the basic rules of conduct and discipline to be
observed by both parents and step-parents, so that the children do not
receive mixed signals.
Parents should keep each other advised of their home and work
addresses and telephone numbers. As much as possible, all communication
concerning the children should be conducted between the parents in person
or by telephone at their residences and not at their places of employment.
Parents should communicate independently with the school(s) and with
the children’s doctors and other professionals regarding the children. Each
parent should notify the other of any medical emergencies or serious
illnesses of the children. The parent who has medical insurance coverage on
the children should supply, as applicable, insurance forms and a list of
insurer-approved or HMO-qualifed health care providers in the area where
the other parent is residing.
Telephone calls between parents and child should be liberally
permitted at reasonable hours and at the expense of the calling parent.
Telephone contact can be a constant point of contention, as “reasonable” is
often viewed quite diferently between parents. As a default position,
reasonable telephone calls between a parent and child should be defned as
twice a week between Monday and Friday and once during the weekend. If a
parent uses an answering machine, messages left on the machine for the
child should be returned within 2 hours. Parents should agree on a specifed
time for calls to the children so that the children will be made available.
Parents should have the unrestricted right to send cards, letters and
packages to their children. The children also should have the same right with
their parents. Neither parent should interfere with this right.
A parent should not enter the residence of the other expect by express
invitation of the resident parent, regardless of whether a parent retains a
property interest in the residence of the other. Accordingly, when children
are picked up or returned to a parent’s home, they should be picked up or
returned to the front entrance of the appropriate residence. Parents should
refrain from surprise visits to the other parent’s home. A parent’s time with
the children is their own, and the children’s time with that parent is equally
private.
19
Examhle Visitation Schedules 13
1. Standard visitation with extended weekends, limited
midweek and equal time in the summer:
ORDER ENTERING STANDARD VISITATION SCHEDULE
The non-custodial parent shall have visitation with all minor children of the parties
as follows:
I. REGULAR VISITATION :
a) The non-custodial parent shall have visitation every other weekend from
Friday after school or day care until Monday morning when the non-
custodial parent returns the child(ren) to school or day care.
b) If a child is not attending school or day care, the non-custodial parent shall
pick up the child from the custodial parent’s home at 6 o’clock p.m. on
Friday and shall return the child to the custodial parent’s home at 7:40
o’clock a.m. on Monday.
c) All visitation weekends that include a Federal, State or school holiday
adjacent to the weekend shall be part of the regular weekend. For Friday
holidays, the weekend shall begin after school or day care on Thursday
evening. For Monday holidays, the weekend shall end with the child(ren)
being returned to school or day care on Tuesday morning.
d) Further, the non-custodial parent shall also enjoy a midweek visitation
every Wednesday from after school or day care and return the child(ren) to
the custodial parent’s home by 8:00 p.m.
e) The Regular Visitation provided in this section shall occur during the school
year and shall not occur from June 1 st
until the 1 st
day of school.
II. HOLIDAY VISITATION :
a) HOLIDAY EVEN YEARS ODD YEARS
Spring Break Custodial Parent Non-Custodial Parent
Fall Break Non-Custodial Parent Custodial Parent
Thanksgiving Break Custodial Parent Non-Custodial Parent
13
The Committee was unable to establish examples of infant visitation schedules.
Instead, using the above infant advisory guidelines, each schedule should be established
based either upon agreement of the parties or the unique facts of each case.
21
1 st
part of Christmas Break Non-Custodial Custodial Parent
(From after school or day care on the last day of school before the
break until 6 p.m. on December 27th)
Balance of Christmas Break Custodial Parent Non-Custodial Parent
(From 6 p.m. on December 27 th
until return to school or day care
on the day school resumes)
b) All Mother's Day weekends shall be spent with the Mother.
All Father's Day weekends shall be spent with the Father.
The weekend shall begin at 6 p.m. Friday before Mother’s Day or Father’s
Day and conclude on the following Monday morning at the return time for
regular weekend visitation. Father’s Day weekend is not available for
Mother’s summer visitation.
c) THE HOLIDAY SCHEDULE SUPERSEDES ALL REGULARLY SCHEDULED
VISITATION.
The Holiday Schedule shall be governed by the school the child attends or
would attend if not of school age. If a child not yet attending school has an
older sibling who attends school, holiday visitation with the child not
attending school shall be governed by the schedule for the school which
the older sibling attends and shall begin from the afternoon when school is
out until it resumes.
III. SUMMER VISITATION:
a) The non-custodial parent shall have summer visitation for two weeks in
June and must notify the custodial parent of the dates in writing by March
40.
b) The non-custodial parent shall have summer visitation for two weeks in July
and must notify the custodial parent of the dates in writing by March 40.
The July th
holiday (from 6 p.m. on July 4 rd
to 6 p.m. on July 5 th)
shall
alternate between the parties on a yearly basis. The non-custodial parent
shall not select dates in July which include the July th
holiday in
consecutive years.
c) Two weeks shall mean one period of 1 consecutive days or two periods of
7 consecutive days, with the visitation beginning and ending at 6 p.m.
d) The non-custodial parent shall have summer visitation from 6 p.m. on
August 1 st
until 6 p.m. on August 8 th
. If the child(ren)’s school year does not
begin until after September 1st, an additional week of visitation in August
will be available with dates to be agreed upon by the parents by June 1.
e) The non-custodial parent shall not schedule periods of summer visitation
consecutively to create a period of 4 consecutive weeks (such as the last 2
weeks of July and the frst week of August) or a period of consecutive
weeks (such as the last 2 weeks of June and the frst 2 weeks of July).
f) If the non-custodial parent fails to give proper notice of when she/he will
exercise summer visitation in June and/or July, then the non-custodial
parent shall have visitation from 6 p.m. on June 1 st
until 6 p.m. on June 15 th
and from 6 p.m. on July 1 st
until 6 p.m. on July 15 th
in even-numbered years
and from 6 p.m. on July 6 th
until 6 p.m. on July 20 th
in odd-numbered years.
g) The Regular Visitation schedule shall resume on the weekend immediately
following the frst day of school and the non-custodial parent shall have
visitation on that weekend. Weekends shall thereafter alternate between
the parents until May 41 st
, with the Summer Schedule beginning on June
1 st
.
IV. OTHER PROVISIONS :
a) Toys and clothes belonging to the child(ren) should travel freely between
households and shall be returned with the child(ren) in a clean and orderly
manner.
b) Parents are allowed to deviate from this schedule by mutual agreement.
c) Special consideration should be given to each parent to make the
child(ren) available to attend family functions, including funerals,
weddings, family reunions, religious holidays, important ceremonies and
other signifcant events in the life of the child or in the life of either parent
which may inadvertently confict with this visitation schedule.
d) It is important to be aware that this visitation schedule is for the purpose of
providing assured minimum amounts of visitation between non-custodial
parent and child(ren). Visitation should exceed the number of occasions
set out herein.
e) In addition, liberal telephone communications between the non-custodial
parent and child(ren) are encouraged and should occur. Unless otherwise
agreed upon by the parties “liberal telephone communications” is defned
as twice a week between Monday and Friday and once during the
weekend. If a parent uses an answering machine, messages left on the
machine for the child(ren) should be returned within 2 hours. Parents
should agree on a specifed time for calls to the child(ren) so that the
child(ren) will be made available. Telephone communications are also
23
encouraged and should occur between the child(ren) and the custodial
parent during the non-custodial parent’s visitation.
2. Standard visitation with extended weekends, exhanded
midweek and equal time in the summer:
ORDER ENTERING STANDARD VISITATION SCHEDULE
The non-custodial parent shall have visitation with all minor children of the parties
as follows:
I. REGULAR VISITATION :
a) The non-custodial parent shall have visitation every other weekend from
Friday after school or day care until Monday morning when the non-
custodial parent returns the child(ren) to school or day care.
b) If a child is not attending school or day care, the non-custodial parent shall
pick up the child from the custodial parent’s home at 6 o’clock p.m. on
Friday and shall return the child to the custodial parent’s home at 7:40
o’clock a.m. on Monday.
c) All visitation weekends that include a Federal, State or school holiday
adjacent to the weekend shall be part of the regular weekend. For Friday
holidays, the weekend shall begin after school or day care on Thursday
evening. For Monday holidays, the weekend shall end with the child(ren)
being returned to school or day care on Tuesday morning.
d) Further, the non-custodial parent shall also enjoy a midweek overnight
visitation every Wednesday after school or day care until Thursday
morning when the non-custodial parent returns the child(ren) to school or
day care.
e) The Regular Visitation provided in this section shall occur during the school
year and shall not occur from June 1 st
until the 1 st
day of school .
II. HOLIDAY VISITATION :
a) HOLIDAY EVEN YEARS ODD YEARS
Spring Break Custodial Parent Non-Custodial Parent
Fall Break Non-Custodial Parent Custodial Parent
Thanksgiving Break Custodial Parent Non-Custodial Parent
1 st
part of Christmas Break Non-Custodial Custodial Parent
(From after school or day care on the last day of school before the
break until 6 p.m. on December 27th)
25
Balance of Christmas Break Custodial Parent Non-Custodial Parent
(From 6 p.m. on December 27 th
until return to school or day care
on the day school resumes)
b) All Mother's Day weekends shall be spent with the Mother.
All Father's Day weekends shall be spent with the Father.
The weekend shall begin at 6 p.m. Friday before Mother’s Day or Father’s
Day and conclude on the following Monday morning at the return time for
regular weekend visitation. Father’s Day weekend is not available for
Mother’s summer visitation.
c) THE HOLIDAY SCHEDULE SUPERSEDES ALL REGULARLY SCHEDULED
VISITATION.
The Holiday Schedule shall be governed by the school the child attends or
would attend if not of school age. If a child not yet attending school has an
older sibling who attends school, holiday visitation with the child not
attending school shall be governed by the schedule for the school which
the older sibling attends and shall begin from the afternoon when school is
out until it resumes.
III. SUMMER VISITATION:
a) The non-custodial parent shall have summer visitation for two weeks in
June and must notify the custodial parent of the dates in writing by March
40.
b) The non-custodial parent shall have summer visitation for two weeks in July
and must notify the custodial parent of the dates in writing by March 40.
The July th
holiday (from 6 p.m. on July 4 rd
to 6 p.m. on July 5 th)
shall
alternate between the parties on a yearly basis. The non-custodial parent
shall not select dates in July which include the July th
holiday in
consecutive years.
c) Two weeks shall mean one period of 1 consecutive days or two periods of
7 consecutive days, with the visitation beginning and ending at 6 p.m.
d) The non-custodial parent shall have summer visitation from 6 p.m. on
August 1 st
until 6 p.m. on August 8 th
. If the child(ren)’s school year does not
begin until after September 1st, an additional week of visitation in August
will be available with dates to be agreed upon by the parents by June 1.
e) The non-custodial parent shall not schedule periods of summer visitation
consecutively to create a period of 4 consecutive weeks (such as the last 2
weeks of July and the frst week of August) or a period of consecutive
weeks (such as the last 2 weeks of June and the frst 2 weeks of July).
f) If the non-custodial parent fails to give proper notice of when she/he will
exercise summer visitation in June and/or July, then the non-custodial
parent shall have visitation from 6 p.m. on June 1 st
until 6 p.m. on June 15 th
and from 6 p.m. on July 1 st
until 6 p.m. on July 15 th
in even-numbered years
and from 6 p.m. on July 6 th
until 6 p.m. on July 20 th
in odd-numbered years.
g) The Regular Visitation schedule shall resume on the weekend immediately
following the frst day of school and the non-custodial parent shall have
visitation on that weekend. Weekends shall thereafter alternate between
the parents until May 41 st
, with the Summer Schedule beginning on June
1 st
.
IV. OTHER PROVISIONS :
a) Toys and clothes belonging to the child(ren) should travel freely between
households and shall be returned with the child(ren) in a clean and orderly
manner.
b) Parents are allowed to deviate from this schedule by mutual agreement.
c) Special consideration should be given to each parent to make the
child(ren) available to attend family functions, including funerals,
weddings, family reunions, religious holidays, important ceremonies and
other signifcant events in the life of the child or in the life of either parent
which may inadvertently confict with this visitation schedule.
d) It is important to be aware that this visitation schedule is for the purpose of
providing assured minimum amounts of visitation between non-custodial
parent and child(ren). Visitation should exceed the number of occasions
set out herein.
e) In addition, liberal telephone communications between the non-custodial
parent and child(ren) are encouraged and should occur. Unless otherwise
agreed upon by the parties “liberal telephone communications” is defned
as twice a week between Monday and Friday and once during the
weekend. If a parent uses an answering machine, messages left on the
machine for the child(ren) should be returned within 2 hours. Parents
should agree on a specifed time for calls to the child(ren) so that the
child(ren) will be made available. Telephone communications are also
encouraged and should occur between the child(ren) and the custodial
parent during the non-custodial parent’s visitation.
27
3. Standard visitation with extended weekends, no midweek
and equal time in the summer:
ORDER ENTERING STANDARD VISITATION SCHEDULE
The non-custodial parent shall have visitation with all minor children of the parties
as follows:
I. REGULAR VISITATION :
a) The non-custodial parent shall have visitation every other weekend from
Friday after school or day care until Monday morning when the non-
custodial parent returns the child(ren) to school or day care.
b) If a child is not attending school or day care, the non-custodial parent shall
pick up the child from the custodial parent’s home at 6 o’clock p.m. on
Friday and shall return the child to the custodial parent’s home at 7:40
o’clock a.m. on Monday.
c) All visitation weekends that include a Federal, State or school holiday
adjacent to the weekend shall be part of the regular weekend. For Friday
holidays, the weekend shall begin after school or day care on Thursday
evening. For Monday holidays, the weekend shall end with the child(ren)
being returned to school or day care on Tuesday morning.
d) The Regular Visitation provided in this section shall occur during the school
year and shall not occur from June 1 st
until the 1 st
day of school.
II. HOLIDAY VISITATION :
a) HOLIDAY EVEN YEARS ODD YEARS
Spring Break Custodial Parent Non-Custodial Parent
Fall Break Non-Custodial Parent Custodial Parent
Thanksgiving Break Custodial Parent Non-Custodial Parent
1 st
part of Christmas Break Non-Custodial Custodial Parent
(From after school or day care on the last day of school before the
break until 6 p.m. on December 27th)
Balance of Christmas Break Custodial Parent Non-Custodial Parent
(From 6 p.m. on December 27 th
until return to school or day care
on the day school resumes)
b) All Mother's Day weekends shall be spent with the Mother.
All Father's Day weekends shall be spent with the Father.
The weekend shall begin at 6 p.m. Friday before Mother’s Day or Father’s
Day and conclude on the following Monday morning at the return time for
regular weekend visitation. Father’s Day weekend is not available for
Mother’s summer visitation.
c) THE HOLIDAY SCHEDULE SUPERSEDES ALL REGULARLY SCHEDULED
VISITATION.
The Holiday Schedule shall be governed by the school the child attends or
would attend if not of school age. If a child not yet attending school has an
older sibling who attends school, holiday visitation with the child not
attending school shall be governed by the schedule for the school which
the older sibling attends and shall begin from the afternoon when school is
out until it resumes.
III. SUMMER VISITATION:
a) The non-custodial parent shall have summer visitation for two weeks in
June and must notify the custodial parent of the dates in writing by March
40.
b) The non-custodial parent shall have summer visitation for two weeks in July
and must notify the custodial parent of the dates in writing by March 40.
The July th
holiday (from 6 p.m. on July 4 rd
to 6 p.m. on July 5 th)
shall
alternate between the parties on a yearly basis. The non-custodial parent
shall not select dates in July which include the July th
holiday in
consecutive years.
c) Two weeks shall mean one period of 1 consecutive days or two periods of
7 consecutive days, with the visitation beginning and ending at 6 p.m.
d) The non-custodial parent shall have summer visitation from 6 p.m. on
August 1 st
until 6 p.m. on August 8 th
. If the child(ren)’s school year does not
begin until after September 1st, an additional week of visitation in August
will be available with dates to be agreed upon by the parents by June 1.
e) The non-custodial parent shall not schedule periods of summer visitation
consecutively to create a period of 4 consecutive weeks (such as the last 2
weeks of July and the frst week of August) or a period of consecutive
weeks (such as the last 2 weeks of June and the frst 2 weeks of July).
29
f) If the non-custodial parent fails to give proper notice of when she/he will
exercise summer visitation in June and/or July, then the non-custodial
parent shall have visitation from 6 p.m. on June 1 st
until 6 p.m. on June 15 th
and from 6 p.m. on July 1 st
until 6 p.m. on July 15 th
in even-numbered years
and from 6 p.m. on July 6 th
until 6 p.m. on July 20 th
in odd-numbered years.
g) The Regular Visitation schedule shall resume on the weekend immediately
following the frst day of school and the non-custodial parent shall have
visitation on that weekend. Weekends shall thereafter alternate between
the parents until May 41 st
, with the Summer Schedule beginning on June
1 st
.
IV. OTHER PROVISIONS :
a) Toys and clothes belonging to the child(ren) should travel freely between
households and shall be returned with the child(ren) in a clean and orderly
manner.
b) Parents are allowed to deviate from this schedule by mutual agreement.
c) Special consideration should be given to each parent to make the
child(ren) available to attend family functions, including funerals,
weddings, family reunions, religious holidays, important ceremonies and
other signifcant events in the life of the child or in the life of either parent
which may inadvertently confict with this visitation schedule.
d) It is important to be aware that this visitation schedule is for the purpose of
providing assured minimum amounts of visitation between non-custodial
parent and child(ren). Visitation should exceed the number of
