Typical Arrangements for Children

Conduct (e.g. adultery) is usually not relevant in deciding where a child should live, unless it impacts on the child. Nor are children's wishes necessarily conclusive. It is common for children to tell each parent they want to live with them.

Children equally sharing time with both parents is more common than it was a number of years ago. In many families however this is not practical due to work responsibilities or geographic distance between the parties. The most common types of arrangements which parents negotiate for the care of their children are often along the following lines:

• One parent having less time such as 5 or 6 nights out of 14, often in one block across one weekend per fortnight
• Half school holidays
• Half Christmas Day each
• Father's Day with the father and Mother's Day with the mother each year
• Each parent to have their children on the parent's birthday for some time (or perhaps on the nearest weekend)
• Each parent to have some time with the children on the children's birthday or birthdays - but this is difficult with school aged children. Nearby weekends are a more convenient time to have a party with school aged children if both parents cannot have them for a period on the one day during the week

Arrangements can be changed substantially from this pattern. They can be more precise with starting hours and finishing hours. They can be left to the discretion of the parent if communication is reasonable and in that situation the arrangements could be left fairly open.