Father requests custody of children during championship games

Parents who are trying to work out an arrangement involving child custody have a lot to think about. On the one hand, they want to have as much time as possible with their children. On the other hand, California courts prefer that both parents stay active in a child’s life. Balancing these two factors can be difficult. However, with a little flexibility and a willingness to compromise, parents can come up with a custody arrangement that benefits everyone.

One of the hardest parts of these arrangements can be working out a schedule for holidays and special events. Most parents want to celebrate religious holidays, birthdays or other significant dates with their children. It can be very difficult, then, to split these holidays up between parents. In one case, however, a father took a creative and effective approach to scheduling custody around special dates.

The man and his ex-wife were working to develop a custody schedule for their two children. The mother wanted the children on several Jewish holidays and for part of their Christmas break. Because these religious holidays were less meaningful to the father, he asked for custody on only two religious holidays. However, he then requested that he have custody of the children on St. Patrick’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday and the NCAA men’s basketball championship game; but only if his team was playing.

Because the father felt as though the mother would have several more holidays with the kids, he determined that his holy day would be the day the Syracuse men’s basketball team played in the championships. Even though the team has only won the title once before, the father said that when and if it happens again, he wants to share the day with his children.

By balancing what he truly valued with the requests of his ex-wife, the father was able to secure custody of his children on the days that truly mattered to him. Even though it is not an official holiday, the father says that Syracuse sports play a big role in his life. By working together with the mother to reach an agreement, both parents can spend time with their kids on significant dates.

Source: The Huffington Post, “Syracuse Divorce: Man Requests To Have Custody Of Kids For Title Game,” July 27, 2012