In Texas and throughout the country, most households are gearing up for this year's holiday season. Do you cook a large feast for family and friends on Thanksgiving? Perhaps, like many other people, you travel to a loved one's home or take a mini-vacation with your family; after all, beach house prices are typically a lot lower in the off-season. As a recently divorced parent, you might be wondering how the changes in your life are going to affect your children during the holidays.
How do courts determine whether a parent is unfit for custody?
As previously discussed on our blog, when it comes to child custody arrangements, Texas courts prefer to split time and child care responsibilities equally between the parents. However, in cases where one of the parents is unfit to raise the child, joint child custody arrangements may not be in the best interest of the child. If you believe your ex cannot handle their parenting responsibilities, you will need to prove to the court that they are unfit to parent your child.
Tips for making co-parenting easier
In 2019, it is more likely than ever for a Texas court to encourage 50/50 child custody agreements. The basic idea is to make sure that the child gets an equal amount of time with both parents and keep both parents equally involved in the child's life. There are a few ways to implement 50/50 custody arrangements. In some cases, one parent will be given physical custody of the child for an entire week before the child is transferred to the other parent's house, where they will stay the following week. In other cases, the child may stay with one parent for the first couple of days of the week and the other parent for the next couple of days, and each parent would have the child on alternate weekends.
