It appears in orders constantly, usually because both parents were getting along when it was drafted and neither wanted to seem rigid. “Reasonable visitation as the parties agree.”
It works until it doesn’t
While both parents are cooperating, an open-ended arrangement is genuinely better than a rigid one — it flexes around real life without anyone filing anything. The problem is what it leaves behind when cooperation stops.
If one parent begins declining requests, there is no schedule to fall back on and nothing specific to enforce. A court asked to intervene has to work out what “reasonable” meant, which is to say it has to build the schedule that should have been written in the first place — at considerably greater cost.
A specific plan doesn’t stop you being flexible
This is the part people miss. A detailed schedule is a floor, not a ceiling. Two parents who get along can still swap weekends and cover for each other whenever they like. The written plan only does anything on the day someone says no — and that is exactly the day you want it to exist.
What to write instead
A default schedule that both parents can live with, plus an explicit line saying the parents may vary it by mutual written agreement. That single sentence preserves every bit of the flexibility the open-ended version was reaching for, while leaving something enforceable underneath it. It costs nothing to add and it is the difference between a disagreement and a filing.
If you already have one
An existing open-ended order can generally be modified into a specific one, and it is far easier while both parents still want it. Waiting until the arrangement has already broken down turns an administrative step into a contested one.
This is general information from a demonstration website, not legal advice, and Example Law Firm is not a real law firm. Rules vary by state and change over time — speak with a licensed attorney about your own situation.
Related reading: how a parenting plan actually gets written · revisiting your custody schedule before the school year · visitation rights in North Carolina