Parenting Plan Checklist

Creating a parenting plan during a divorce can help outline how you and your co-parent handle parenting issues and support the well-being of your children. In addition, a well-written parenting plan can make co-parenting and raising kids in separate households become much easier, as it acts as a point of reference for steps to take to manage different parenting situations as they arise.

A parenting plan should also plan how you and the co-parent will communicate and resolve issues concerning the children without conflict or consequences. A well-written parenting plan acts as a map of how the family will function going forward. While creating parenting agreements in Orlando may seem tedious, the most important thing to remember when writing the plan is to keep every issue centered on upholding your child's best interest and maintaining their well-being.

Parenting plan topics

Creating a successful parenting plan is achievable. Experts offer this checklist of issues not to forget.

• Parenting schedule

A parenting schedule will determine how your children will divide their time between each parent’s home. Be sure to include plans for transportation between homes during exchanges.

• Holidays and special dates

It's important to consider how you will share time with your children over school breaks, vacations, holidays, and other special occasions for your family. It can be helpful to create a scheduling pattern that plans for holiday parenting time years into the future.

• Vacations and travel

Don't forget to consider how far in advance trips need to be planned, who will pay for the travel, and if there are people who cannot travel with your children.

• Extended friends and family

Consider adding procedures for how children can spend time and communicate with extended family members like cousins, close family friends, and grandparents. In addition, bring to your attorney's attention any individuals you would prefer not to have contact with your children for safety reasons.

• Schedule changes

It's important to consider how far ahead of time you and your co-parent need to propose changes to a parenting schedule. Discuss how to communicate about changes and what happens when changes happen due to emergencies.

• Making important decisions

Be sure to cover how to make decisions about religion, discipline, schooling, healthcare, and much more in your parenting plan. Of course, you and your co-parent may already have some of this decided for you by the court. But, it should all be written out in the plan so that you can reference the details as necessary.

• Expenses

It's important to discuss how children's cost of living is going to be covered. This can include medical expenses, extracurricular fees, school tuition, clothing, food, and much more. Determining if you will share the responsibility for all child-related costs or if you will each be a hundred percent responsible for certain expenses is essential. It's worth mentioning that much of this may be determined by a court ruling, but it should still be detailed in your plan.

• Communicating with the kids.

Consider how you or your co-parent will keep in touch with your children when you are not with them, especially if one parent cannot be with the children as much as the other. Communication methods may include letters, online messaging, phone calls, or video chatting. It's crucial to choose strategies that work best for your family and name them clearly in your parenting plan.

• Co-parent communication

Determining the method of communication you will have with your co-parent is essential for every family. First, decide the types of information that you should discuss and how often you should communicate.

Sharing all of these topics with your attorney and going over any concerns is vital to the divorce process. An attorney can give you expert advice and help guide you through the process of writing your parenting plan, as well as answering any legal questions you have concerning your case. Visit us today at yourorlandolawyer.com if you need the advice of an attorney that specializes in parenting agreements in Orlando.