50/50 contact - tips for making it worth

[Booboostwo]

DH has just moved out so I suppose I have to get used to saying ExH.

He is looking for a place to rent and then the plan is for the DCs to spend one week with me and one week with him. We are on good terms. If the DCs want to see the other parent on the off week, we said we are both fine with that and will work around it. If one parent wants to take DCs for holiday for more than one week this is also OK. If one parent is away for work the other parent will have the DCs for longer.

I was thinking of splitting the DCs clothes and toys (with their agreement) so they can have half at each place. Will that work?

Any tips or pitfalls with these ideas? This contact arrangement is the most common where we live and seems fairest. We are committed to staying close to each other until DCs are adults but since we fucked up an 18 year old relationship, we might fuck up the co-parenting as well, who knows?

I think it's great that you have agreed to be flexible, that always helps but in my experience I don't think 50/50 on an every other week basis will work either emotionally or practically. I think it works better for the kids to have a main residence. One parent will lose out slightly and the other will have a greater burden but by being flexible no one be too heavily impacted and it will benefit the kids

And sorry, I meant to say, good luck op

Most people I know with 50/50 have 2 set days each plus every other weekend.

So...

Week 1
Mon and Tues - mum
Wed - Sun - dad

Week 2
Mon and Tues - mum
Wed and Thurs - dad
Fri - Sun - mum and then stay with mum until Tues.

It makes it a lot easier from work / childcare / activities. (If mum wants child to do swimming she books her in for swimming on a Tuesday and then is not reliant on dad to take to swimming every other week. Also swimming kit stays at mum’s house.)

Also pattern is 5,2,2,5 which makes it easier on kids as 7 days is a long time away from each parent.

Agree with recommending the Mon/Tues parent a, Weds/Thurs parent b, Fri/Sat/Sun alternating pattern. Easier for the kids and for your work:life balance (two days a week where you can always work late for instance).

Having said that this didn't work for me, exH hadn't had a 50:50 split of parenting duties before the split so DD was pretty adamant that she didn't want to spend that much time with him after the split.

Where we live almost everyone does one week on one week off. The exceptions are families where one parent is not very present and just had the DCs one weekend every month or similar.

I can’t quite get my head around 2 5 5 2. THere is no school here on Wednesdays which complicates matters. I do take the point though that a whole week might be too long for the DCs. We thought maybe the other parent could do Wednesdays on their week off or pick up from school at lunch time (another peculiarity of our area, school stops 12 to 13:35). Luckily we both work from home otherwise none of this would be possible.