If you have gone through a divorce recently, you may be looking for some normalcy. Still, until sharing custody of your kids with your ex-spouse becomes routine, you can expect to have a bit of a learning curve. With luck, your ex is willing to make a good-faith effort to make your arrangement work.
Having a joint-custody arrangement requires seeing your former spouse occasionally. After all, you have to meet up briefly to swap custody when your scheduled parenting time starts and ends. To have a smooth custody transfer, it may be wise not to swap custody at your ex-spouse’s house.
Do you want a turf war?
According to Psychology Today, households tend to have unique family dynamics. During your marriage, you and your spouse had things in certain ways. Now, your ex may do things very differently.
Put simply, individuals can be a bit weird in their post-divorce living situations. If you do not want some type of turf war to develop, it may be beneficial to stay away from your ex’s new house.
Do you want to see your ex’s new love interest?
It is certainly possible that your ex-spouse has a new love interest. If this person lives with your former husband or wife, you are likely to run into him or her when you are swapping custody of your kids. Until you are more comfortable with your former spouse’s new partner, you may want to conduct your custody transfers in a neutral place.
When you are finalizing your custody arrangement, you have the opportunity to specify where custody transfers happen. Ultimately, your child’s school, a public park or even a shopping center may be a better transfer location than your ex-spouse’s home.