Custody schedules that actually work for school-age kids

Courts approve parenting plans. Families have to live in them. The schedules that hold up over years share a few traits. They match the real geography: a 2-2-3 rotation works when homes are ten minutes apart and falls apart at forty. They respect the school week, keeping mid-week transitions early in the evening. They plan holidays explicitly, alternating rather than improvising every December. And they include a review clause, because what works for a seven-year-old rarely fits a thirteen-year-old. The strongest plans also handle communication: a shared calendar and a rule that changes get requested in writing. If a proposed schedule only works when everyone is at their best, it is not a plan. It is a wish.