Creating Custody Agreements for Pre-Teenagers

An effective child custody agreement is an important part of any successful family of divorce. Designing the perfect custody agreement that is in the best interest of everyone in the family is difficult to do and can take years of refining. One of the biggest problems that many co-parents find with their custody agreements is that they must constantly be changing. As children get older their needs change along with them, which means that the current custody agreement must also change to reflect that. Custody agreements for pre-teenagers are difficult to perfect but are also a necessity.

The best custody agreements for pre-teenagers

There are a number of factors that go into a successful custody agreement for pre-teenagers. Some features are very basic and apply to custody agreements for virtually all ages of children. Family law professionals and courts typically favor the implementation of joint custody. They see it as being in the best interest of the child since both co-parents are playing an active role in parenting their child.

Joint custody is actually a very general term. Its important to understand that there are actually two different types of custody that must be accounted for, legal custody and physical custody. Legal custody has to do with the legal decision making responsibilities for the child. Physical custody has to do with the day-to-day caretaking responsibilities for the child. Most joint custody agreements will grant both parents with joint physical custody of the child while granting only one parent with legal custody of the child. This is a very acceptable form of joint custody that has been proven to be very effective.

Tailoring your custody agreement for pre-teenagers

As your child grows older it is necessary to change the custody agreement in order to reflect their changing needs. Custody agreements for pre-teenagers are different from those for younger children.

Time management becomes a very important factor. Pre-teenagers become more and more involved as they get older. They are involved in more school activities as well as extracurricular activities. Co-parents will have to learn to become more flexible with their parenting and their current custody agreement. Custody agreements for pre-teenagers must also reflect these changes in the documentation.

Along with time management, distance also becomes a large factor. As pre-teenagers start to become more involved in activities both in school and out of school they will not be able to spend their time transitioning from one household to the other. Co-parents will also have to become much more flexible in this area of the custody agreement.

Preparing for when your pre-teenager becomes a teenager

It is always beneficial for co-parents to request a family law professional to help them with creating their custody agreement. They will be able to aide co-parents in making sure that every detail that needs to be covered will be. Since the custody agreement is considered to be an official legal document it must be presented to a judge in order to be approved. A family law professional or attorney will also be able to help in the process of getting it approved. Along with custody agreements for pre-teenagers they will also be able to assist in other stages of your child’s life.