50/50 Alternative Possession Schedules in Texas

The Standard Possession Order is the possession schedule the State of Texas created for children and their parents. Sometimes, parents don’t like this possession schedule. Some common possession schedules that we see include:

• Week On/Week Off Schedule
• 2-2-5 / 5-2 / Wrap Schedule
• 2-2-3 Schedule
• Alternative Summer Schedules

To create a customized order that is right for you and your children, talk with an attorney on the best practices in creating a tailored possession order.

A Week On/Week Off schedule is one of the easiest ways parents equal out possession time. With this schedule parents typically rotate possession of the children by even and odd weeks. The weeks are numbered based off a website such as What Week Is It, or by the iPhone/Android calendar settings. Weeks typically begin on Sunday.

In the example below, Parent 1 is Blue and has odd weeks while Parent 2 is Green with even weeks:

Benefits of the Week On/Week Off Schedule

• Allows for an uninterrupted week with your child.
• Allows for equal parenting time.
• Only have one exchange of the children per week.

Challenges of the Week On/Week Off Schedule

• Don’t get to see your children during the other parent’s week.

The best way to describe this schedule is by showing it. It is often referred to as a the “2-2-5 schedule”, the “wrap schedule” or the “5-2 schedule.” With this schedule, Parent 1 has every Monday and Tuesday and Parent 2 has every Wednesday and Thursday. Then on the weekends, the schedule rotates between Parent 1 and Parent 2.

In this example, Parent 1’s time is Blue and Parent 2’s time is Green:

Benefits of the 2-2-5 / 5-2 / Wrap Schedule

• Allows for almost equal parenting time throughout the school week.
• Allows both parents to take an active role during the school week.

Challenges of the 2-2-5 / 5-2 / Wrap Schedule

• Can be hard for a parent to go five days without seeing their child.
• May cause multiple exchanges of the child in a month.

This schedule is very similar to the 2-2-5 / wrap schedule above. Like the 2-2-3, Parent 1 and Parent 2 will continue rotating every other weekend. Unlike the 2-2-5 schedule, Parent 1 will not always have Monday and Tuesday and Parent 2 will not have Wednesday and Thursday. They will rotate. Again, the best way to visualize this schedule is to see it.

In this example, Parent 1 is Blue and Parent 2 is Green:

Benefits of the 2-2-3 Schedule

• Allows for seven days of uninterrupted time with the children.
• Allows for equal parenting time.
• Includes extended weekend time with the children.

Challenges of the 2-2-3 Schedule

• Don’t get to see your children during the other parent’s time.
• May be difficult to keep track of the schedule.

Sometimes parents want to change up the summer possession schedule. We see parents who want to keep their Standard Possession Order during the school year and change the summer possession. We also see parents who have a 50/50 possession schedule that want to do something different during the summer.

There can be many practical reasons for customizing summer possession. It especially makes it easier to plan family vacations or summer camps in advance.

It is important to note that “summer possession” follows the children’s school calendar. Summer possession time may begin in the month of May and end in the month of August. The examples below only take into account summer as being June and July. Below are several options for modifying summer possession.

Time Off / On

We sometimes see parties enter into a week on/week off agreement for the summertime. We also see two weeks on/two weeks off. Both agreements allow for lengthy visits for the children during the summer months.

Week On / Week Off: Parent 1 is Blue and Parent 2 is Green.

Two Weeks On / Two Weeks Off: Parent 1 is Blue and Parent 2 is Green.

June / July Split

Other times we see parties veer a little off the Standard Possession Order path with Parent 1 having the entire month of June and Parent 2 having the entire month of July. Sometimes the parents will even switch months in even and odd years. The hardest part about this schedule is going a month without seeing your children. When it isn’t your month, you have no possession. This may be tough on a parent and children!

Even Years: Parent 1 (Blue) has June and Parent 2 (Green) has July.

Odd Years: Parent 2 (Green) has June and Parent 1 (Blue) has July.

Half-Month Splits

This schedule is most common when parent stray from the Standard Possession Order. It provides that the months of June and July get split.

Odd Years: Parent 1 is Blue and Parent 2 is Green.

• Parent 1: June 1-15, July 1-15
• Parent 2: June 16-30, July 16-31

Even Years: Parent 1 is Blue and Parent 2 is Green.

• Parent 1: June 1-15, July 1-15
• Parent 2: June 16-30, July 16-31

Alternative Possession Schedule with an Option for Two-Week Summer Election

Another option is to continue the alternative possession schedule during the summer, and then carve out two weeks for extended possession. It is typical to give Parent 1 the option to choose two weeks of time by April 1 of a given year. Then Parent 2 can designate their two weeks of time by April 15. The parents would also rotate who designates first by even and odd years.

For example, Parent 1 can designate by April in even years and Parent 2 can designate by April 1 in odd years. It is important to note that when a parent picks their two weeks, they may choose time that is normally given to the other parent. This summer possession would supersede the alternative possession schedule.

If you have questions regarding any of these Alternative Possession Schedules, contact Hunt Law Firm today to learn more about what may be best for you and your family.