You and your co-parent do have to share custody of your children, as you have since the divorce. You get the children for one week and your ex gets them the following week. You also have some arrangements for the holidays or summer vacation.
But, exactly how much do you have to share? Do you need to share all the same rules? This is an area that can often cause contention between divorced couples.
Sharing rules can help
To begin with, it may help the children in some ways if you share certain rules or schedules. It gives the children a greater sense of stability. They know what’s expected of them, regardless of which parent they’re living with at the time. This can make the transition a bit easier for them.
But it is not necessary
However, you are certainly not obligated to share all of the same house rules with your co-parent. For example, maybe your ex only wants the children to listen to religious music because they are highly religious themselves. You think this is far too restrictive and you would prefer that the children can listen to any music that they want. Or maybe your ex wants the children to have a curfew at 8:00 PM. You believe the children are old enough that you can trust them to stay out later.
You can always choose the rules that you believe are correct for your children when you have custody. As long as you’re not violating the custody order or putting them in danger, it shouldn’t be an issue. But it could lead to conflicts with your ex, and that’s why you need to know about all of your legal options.