Important Issues to Address in Your Parenting Plan
Dividing time between two different households following a divorce can require a significant adjustment for parents, as well as their children. This transition can be made much simpler through the creation of a detailed parenting plan. Although parenting plans can address any number of childcare-related issues, there are a few important matters that should not be forgotten. Please contact an experienced Fort Lauderdale child custody attorney to learn more about drafting an exhaustive parenting plan that will best serve the needs of your family after your divorce.
Parenting Time Schedule
To ensure that children are given the best possible chance of a successful transition following divorce, separating parents should use great care in drafting a parenting plan that addresses a variety of issues. First amongst these matters is a parenting time schedule, which can help establish a solid routine for a couple’s children. This includes creating a day to day schedule that covers which parents will have physical custody of their child on which days, as well as how holidays and vacations will be divided.
Budget for Activities and Camps
Many children are involved in extracurricular activities, which can be difficult to navigate for divorced parents. Including details not only about which parents will be responsible for taking the child to and from these activities on a day to day basis, but also how the cost of those activities, camps, and lessons will be shared by the parents upon divorce can help ensure that the couple’s children will be able to continue engaging in the hobbies and activities that they love. Some families even find it useful to include a cap on how much the parties will spend on extracurricular activities for each child.
Mode of Communication
Some of the most important details that divorcing couples should consider including in their parenting plans relate to the mode of communication that the parties will use for issues related to their children. For instance, couples with a less than amicable relationship may want to limit their communication to emails and text messages to avoid heated in-person encounters. Other couples, however, may choose to include provisions in their agreement stating that all conversations about serious decisions regarding a child’s education, religion, or health must take place in person. Minor issues, on the other hand, such as an update on the time of a child’s soccer game, can often be conducted over the phone, email, or via text message.
Making Important Decisions
Besides coming to an agreement about how the parties will communicate about childcare-related matters, divorcing parents should also include provisions in their parenting agreement regarding how the parties will reach major decisions about their child’s health, religion, and education. Some couples agree, for instance, to include language in their agreements explaining that in the event that the parties reach an impasse about a decision, they will seek the advice of a mediator or therapist.
Contact an Experienced Child Custody and Shared Parenting Lawyer
To discuss the issues that you and your spouse want to put in a parenting plan with a dedicated child custody lawyer, please call Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. at 954-945-7591 today.
Resource:
justice.gc.ca/eng/fl-df/parent/ppc-lvppp/index.html
flcourts.org/content/download/403367/3458536/995a.pdf
