Custody and Visitation Exchanges and Neutral Locations
Child Visitation Exchanges in Frederick MD
Where Do You Drop Off The Kids For Visitation, Your Home or Theirs?
Neutral Locations: The relationships between some parents make exchanges emotionally turbulent so the location of the exchange and other changes may smooth out the problem.
Frederick Maryland custody attorneys usually address and include the location for exchanges of the children as well as the times for those exchanges. In most cases the parents do the exchanges at their homes or residence.
Almost as frequently, parents exchange the child(ren) at a geographic halfway point or at some other predetermined location.
Personally, I am a big believer in the collecting party doing transport. That means a parent comes to the other parent and collects the child wherever that may be.
Such an arrangement creates a buffer for the tardy types because the child is just doing what they normally do at the respective parents house when or if the collecting parent is running late.
Following the tardy theme, the parent from whom the child(ren) is being collected is very unlikely to be late because they are already home when the collecting parent arrives.
Sometimes in custody and divorce cases a location other than the residence of the respective parents is chosen for exchanges of the child(ren). The reasons for this, as well as the chosen locations range from the outrageous to the sublime. While many parties select such places for safety reasons (described below) most of the time such locations are chosen as a mere courtesy, or simply as a halfway point so that the parties each bear half the trouble and expense of exchanges.
When exchange points are chosen as a matter of convenience anyplace will do but frequently child friendly locations like fast food playgrounds are best. These low profile exchange points can also give one the ability to prove he/she was at the correct place at the correct time by having video or even a receipt for a Coke? This can be helpful where the parent(s) lament being “stood up” for visitation or being victims of serial and extreme tardiness.
I know of a case where the father lived in Woodsboro and the mother lived in Thurmont. Both of the residences were in an “armed camp” kind of situation. Mother lived on a farm at the end of a long driveway with all her family. Father lived in a cul de sac with his family occupying the other homes in the cul de sac.
There were no real safety concerns but it was an awkward arrangement. The selected that the father would pick up the children at the Cozy Restaurant in Thurmont and the Mother would pick the children back up at a diner in Woodsboro.
Child Custody Lawyers in Frederick Maryland
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