U.S. custody courts in many states seek to ease the trauma associated with a divorce by granting generous visitation rights to the noncustodial parent, grandparents, and other relatives who have a strong emotional bond with the child. In most cases, the child custody order is open-ended when it comes to setting forth child visitation rules. This approach allows the parents to work together to devise a visitation and custody schedule that is convenient and mutually agreeable for all involved parties. Legal experts advise parents to develop a proposed visitation schedule before your custody hearing in order to stand the best chance of having it approved by the judge. However, if the judge believes that the parents may not comply with an open-ended arrangement, a fixed visitation schedule may be imposed that specifies the required arrangement down to the smallest detail. Check with a court representative to learn more about child visitation rules in your area.