If you share physical custody of your kids with an ex-spouse, you may have some concerns about transferring custody of the children when your parenting time begins and ends. After all, your marriage came to an end for some very valid reasons.
Your custody transfer does not have to be full of conflict and stress. By addressing the time and location of custody transfers in your parenting plan, you may keep disagreements to a minimum. Nevertheless, custody transfers often go terribly wrong for just three simple reasons.
1. A turf war
It can be downright awkward to see your ex-spouse in his or her post-divorce life, especially if your former husband or wife has a new intimate partner living with him or her. To avoid a turf war, it is often best to swap the kids at a neutral location, such as a public park or restaurant. Even then, you probably want to keep a professional tone when meeting your ex-spouse.
2. Commuting stress
If you live far from your ex-spouse, the two of you may have little choice but to commute to the transfer location. Still, neither of you should bear all the burden of commuting. If your ex-spouse has stress from a long or inconvenient commute, he or she may be in the mood to fight with you or mistreat your kids.
3. Safety issues
While much of the year is pleasant, Utah can experience extreme temperatures. If you do not dress the kids appropriately, your ex-spouse may have grounds to argue with you. Likewise, if your ex-spouse does something during the transfer to put your children in danger, you may become angry.
For the good of you, your ex-spouse and your kids, it is best not to argue during custody transfers. Ultimately, any efforts you make to keep conflict under control are likely to build a healthy co-parenting relationship with your ex-spouse.