If you are new to the world of shared custody, you may have heard people, perhaps your lawyer, talk about a 5,2,2,5 plan. This post will discuss that plan and its advantages and disadvantages, along with the other popular equal time sharing plan – week-on, week-off.
5,2,2,5
This parenting time arrangement gives 50% of the available parenting time to each parent. The way it works is this: The four weekdays, Monday through Thursday, are divided two and two. So for example, Mother would get Monday and Tuesday and Father would get Wednesday and Thursday. Every week the parents get those same two days. The weekends are then rotated so one week Mother gets the children Friday through Sunday and Father get the following weekend Friday through Sunday.
The benefit of this plan is consistency. Each parent knows that they will have their kids on the same weekdays as always. Also each parent is able to plan activities with their children knowing that every other weekend they will get a solid five days. This is great for planning short trips.
Another benefit is that no parent goes too long without seeing their children as is often the case with week-on, week off parenting plans.
The disadvantage to this plan is that there are more exchanges to worry about. In certain high-conflict parenting situations, limiting contact as much as possible is a good idea. The more child exchanges occur, the more potential there is for conflict to occur. This can be minimized, however, if the children are in school. The parents can agree to do exchanges at school. So, for example, the parent with parenting time on Monday Tuesday would drop the child off for school on Wednesday morning and the other parent would pick that child up after school on Wednesday afternoon.
Week on, Week off
This parenting plan is quite easy to understand. Each parent has the children for one week. Simple.
The advantage to this plan is simplicity and limited exchanges. It is easy to track which week is which on a calendar. Also, with a full week of parenting time, it may not be necessary to have a separate provision in the parenting plan about vacations. The parents would simply use their week to plan those activities. However, if a parent needs longer than a week, this could be problematic. I have seen some parents opt to alter the week on week off during the summer months for this reason.
Exchanges are limited to once a week and usually occur on Sundays. However I have seen some parents choose a different day. Another option is to make is Wednesday so that the exchange can be done at school. Hopefully the child does not need to take clothes or other items with him to the other house as he may not be able to store them at school.
A major disadvantage exists with this plan, especially if the child or children are very young. A week is a long time to be without one of the parents. This can be hard on a child as well as hard on the parents.
If you have agreed to 50-50 shared parenting time, or the court orders it, these two plans are the most common. There are other variations of these plans for unique situations, such as fluctuating work schedules. Whichever plan you choose, it is important to weigh the costs and benefits of each.