Connecting Nests

Massachusetts · Week-on / week-off

Week-on / week-off in Massachusetts

The child spends one full week with each parent, switching on the same day every week. In Massachusetts this is written into a Parenting Plan, where time with a child is called parenting time.

Build this plan for Massachusetts — free

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

A = one parent, B = the other. Each cell is one overnight. This rotation divides regular school-year overnights 50/50 — about 182 and 182 nights a year.
WeekMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
1 AAAAAAA
2 BBBBBBB

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

The simplest 50/50 schedule to run and the easiest to explain to a child — but a week is a long time away from a parent for a young child, and one forgotten backpack can strand a school project for seven days. Most plans using it add a midweek dinner or call with the other parent.

Other schedules in Massachusetts