Frequent travel can make you worry about missing time with your child. If your career involves road games, tours or business trips, a rigid alternating-week schedule may not fit your family.
Under Michigan law, courts set parenting time according to the child’s best interests. Judges may consider emotional ties, home stability and each parent’s ability to provide care and guidance, along with parenting-time concerns such as the child’s special needs and the demands of travel. A detailed plan can accommodate changing work demands while preserving continuity in your child’s daily life.
How can you plan around changing availability?
Although the schedule may remain flexible, it should establish clear procedures for:
- Providing advance notice of planned trips or itinerary changes
- Sending schedule updates and responding within a set period
- Handling cancellations, extensions or unexpected travel delays
- Arranging replacement parenting time after missed days
- Following a default schedule when you cannot reach an agreement
Avoid relying solely on phrases such as “as agreed,” because an arrangement without a default schedule may be difficult to interpret when disagreements arise. Continue following your existing court order unless a judge approves a modification.
How can you stay connected while away?
Video calls, messages and other forms of virtual contact can help maintain your relationship while you travel. The plan may designate appropriate times, frequency and responsibility for initiating contact, which can minimize disruptions to school, activities and bedtime.
What should the plan say about caregivers?
If travel requires child care, you and the other parent may agree to include a right of first refusal in the parenting plan. State law does not provide this option automatically, so the court order must explain when you must offer the other parent an opportunity to provide care. It should also state how long you may be away and how quickly the other parent must respond.
If your travel involves military deployment, different Michigan protections apply. Deployment alone cannot justify a permanent change to custody or parenting time, although a court may issue a temporary order in limited circumstances. You must inform the court of your deployment end date before it occurs or within 30 days afterward. The court must then reinstate the order that applied before deployment.
Review the schedule as your child grows
A plan that works for a young child may not fit a teenager with school, sports and social commitments. Keep track of recurring conflicts between your travel and the parenting schedule. Reviewing the arrangement as your child’s needs change can help you spot problems before they disrupt your child’s routine.