Massachusetts · Alternating weekends
Alternating weekends in Massachusetts
The child lives primarily with one parent and spends every other weekend with the other. In Massachusetts this is written into a Parenting Plan, where time with a child is called parenting time.
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Template for educational use — not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Laws change; confirm current requirements with a licensed attorney in Massachusetts.
The rotation
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | A | A | A | B | B | A |
| 2 | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
About that numberThis figure counts the weekend rotation only. Most alternating-weekend plans also split holidays and give the other parent two to four weeks in summer, which brings the real annual share closer to 20% — the figure usually quoted for this schedule.
What Massachusetts expects
Massachusetts presumes shared legal custody at the temporary-order stage; shared physical custody is decided on the facts.
Governing law: Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 208, § 31.
The honest trade-off
Long the default in American courts, and still the most common order — but twelve days can pass between weekends, and the weekend parent rarely sees a school night or a homework fight. Most plans soften it with a midweek dinner.