Creating a parenting plan is a good way for divorcing couples to come to an agreement about child custody while keeping their kids’ best interests at heart. Parenting plans can encompass a wide range of factors regarding how you and your ex will go about operating your lives and your kids’ lives efficiently and effectively.
But you might not know where to begin. There are several items you will want to make sure to include in your parenting plan, and several additional components you can include based on your family’s unique circumstances.
Common Elements Of A Parenting Plan
There are a few basic elements that are an essential part of any parenting plan. These factors can help you and your family create a general outline of what parenting will look like after divorce. These elements include:
- Living arrangements and schedules (including residential arrangements, pick ups and drop offs etc.)
- Medical decisions (such as how medical decisions will be made, who the kids’ physicians, dentists etc. will be)
- Education information (will there be changes in schools? Special education needs? Attendance at school events or parent-teacher conferences?)
- Vacations, holidays and other special events (decisions about travel arrangements? Special agreements for longer stays over holidays?)
- Communication between parents
These are some of the most basic factors in most parenting plans. They can make up a general, standard parenting plan that will account for a normal standard of living post divorce.
Most parents will want to create a more in-depth plan, however. It’s a good idea to carefully consider this plan and try to plan ahead for more situations and circumstances to avoid problems down the road.
More Elements Of A Parenting Plan
These additional components can help enhance your parenting plan and make it more effective. These elements can account for more issues and help you and your family develop a stronger, more secure guide for the future. Some more items you can include are:
- Arrangements for babysitting or extra childcare
- Extra-curricular activity considerations (such as who will pay, who will pick up/drop off, who can attend)
- Extended family visits
- Your child’s belongings (who will purchase which items for your children? Will they have two sets of certain things?)
- How will you handle making changes to the parenting plan?
There are many more elements and items you can include in your plan. It can encompass as much as you and your family would like.
Carefully considering the needs of your kids is important during this process as well. A parenting plan is an important document that can set up your future after divorce. It is an essential part of caring for your children and helping them regain stability after this emotional time.
