Tips For Developing a Co-Parenting Plan for Your Family

 Posted on March 28, 2019 in Divorce

Divorce affects your family in many ways, but children are often the most affected by divorce. Children benefit from having both parents in their lives, even if their parents are not together anymore, so it is beneficial to develop a co-parenting plan with your ex. 

A co-parenting plan will expressly state a few key things about the development of your child or children, and it is always a good idea to have it in writing so you can refer back to it later. After the divorce, you may not want to keep in contact with your ex, but it will help your children if you can be civil with each other. A parenting plan will help everyone stay on the same page about child custody matters.

Areas To Focus On In Your Plan

Your parenting plan will be your guide for what you and your ex-spouse will handle parenting decisions as your child grows. It is important to have some main focus areas, which can vary depending on your situation, but generally, there are five key areas to focus on. 

• Overnight stays- which parent the child will be spending the night with.
• Routines- the time spent with the child during the day, involving taking care of the child and parenting.
• Activity time- when the parents and the child spend time doing fun or special activities
• Daily decisions- the day-to-day decisions a parent makes for the child, such as what to feed the children and screen time.
• Major decisions- decisions that are made which greatly affect the children’s lives, such as where they are going to school, religious involvement and medical decisions.

Elements Of A Good Parenting Plan

In addition to laying out those five focus areas, a parenting plan should follow these general rules. 

• Broad statement to start the agreement- The agreement will lay out the shared responsibility both parents have for making decisions about the day-to-day life of the child. It is important to state that both parents are going to do their best to raise the child together. 
• Specifics about holidays and special cases.
• Details regarding who will be taking care of the child when, where the child will live, general logistics.
• Parenting together, not separately- It is important to agree to talk to one another when parenting a child, especially about big decisions. Sharing knowledge is important so one parent does not get put in a bad situation due to their lack of knowledge. 
• How long the agreement will last, whether the plan will be reevaluated at a later date, and how disputes will be handled.

Contact an Oakland County Child Custody Attorney

Co-parenting can be tough at times. Many parents do not wish to have extended contact with their ex, but it is important for your child to have both parents involved. If you need help with your parenting plan and your divorce case, contact our resourceful Novi MI child custody lawyers. 

The attorneys at Elkouri Heath, PLC know how to handle complex divorce cases with compassion. If you would like a free initial consultation, please contact us at 248-344-9700.

Source:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/co-parenting-after-divorce/201510/developing-co-parenting-plans