Hi K.,
Your question hit close to home with me and I had to respond. I lived in Arkansas all of my life and when I filed for divorce, I decided to move to Tennessee to get closer to my job. My ex was awarded visitation every other weekend and Wednesday nights until 8. I was given custodial parent rights. This worked out fine for everyone. My boys are really close to their father and when living so close, I even let him see them whenever he would call and ask. When he found out I was moving them to TN, he was ecstatic. He didnt realize I was doing it for financial reasons, all he saw was it wasnt fair to him. I wont lie, my boys hated the idea of not getting to see their daddy whenever they wanted. We worked out a new visitation schedule, he gets them every weekend and anytime school will not be in session. Holidays, we share! Example: Christmas Eve they are at my house and after Santa comes, they go to daddys. Its been almost 2 years since the move, and yes, it is still hard because the boys do miss him terribly. However, he calls them every single night. I fear that as they get older they may want to live with him because of the fact they have missed out (in a way) on being with him. I know this doesnt answer your question, but I just wanted to let ya know I'm experiencing the same confusion.