Business travel--make up visitation

[neutron11]

My DH is drafting a parenting plan to submit to BM during mediation and he wants to have something there specific to make up visitation due to business travel. He is a consultant and sometimes he goes months without traveling but then he will travel 10-20 days in a month for a couple of months. Usually his travels happen from Monday-Friday or from Tuesday to Friday so weekends he is always home. He is aiming at having child 50% of time. Obviously, if he has to travel for work, child will stay with BM. Do you guys think it's fair to ask for make up time during the weekends? He doesn't want to deprive BM of weekend time with child but it seems the only available option, other than forfeiting his time with child, which he would hate to do. What kind of wording should be included in the parenting plan? Do you guys have any other suggestions?  Thanks!!

[ocean]

What is the normal plan now? Does he get weekends now? How much notice does he get that he must travel for work?

[neutron11]

Right now he has every other weekend and one overnight during the week plus holidays but that is the temporary plan. The parenting evaluator recommended 50/50 time with child so he will have from Wednesdays after school till friday at 5:00pm every other week and then from Wednesday after school till Monday morning on opposing weeks. So in a period of two weeks, he will have child 7 overnights. We are going to mediation soon so we are trying to present a good and well drafter parenting plan.

[neutron11]

With regards to notice... he usually gets a week in advance notice, sometimes more.

[tigger]

Personally, if I were the BM, I wouldn't agree to make up time on my weekend due to his travel during the week.  It's not fair for her to have to give up weekends for something she has no control over and no say in the matter.  It effectively causes her not to be able to make weekend plans because her weekends aren't protected against his travel.

[neutron11]

yes, I see your point. I wouldn't like that arrangement either if I were the BM. I guess we were looking for a way to not have to depend on BM's good disposition to make up time with child  but it would be unfair. On the other hand, her parenting plan proposal gave DH every single weekend. Who does that?  In the end, the commissioner chose to give DH every other weekend but she did proposed for DH to have child every weekend.

[Spaceman1982]

lets put it this way. I had a idiot temp judge give my ex EVERY weekend cuz it was 'her' best ti filed a motion to have it yanked. My ex signed a parenting agreement but when she realized she showed how uninterested she was in the kids and gave me primary, she told the judge "I want my every weekend back"  The judge told her "only problem with that aside from the agreement you signed is the fact that BF filed this motion contesting the other judges ruiling based on it being unjust and unfair. I will tell you now I would have never made that ruiling and BF wins that motion."

[ocean]

Well how about not a full weekend. Something like:

"when father is out of town for work, mother has first right of refusal and can keep child until his return. The day after fathers return, father will have child from when school lets out until 8pm. If there is no school that day, father will have child from 9am-2pm-even if it is mother's weekend. After that day, the parenting plan will be followed again. Father will email mother as soon as he knows of work travel and give her FROF.

The morning should not interfere with parties...etc..that mom might have planned and you can negotiate the return time if child has other plans.

[neutron11]

Thanks Ocean! That actually sounds reasonable!