If you and your child’s other parent are divorcing or otherwise going your separate ways but you both plan to remain very active in your child’s life, the court will likely insist that you draft a parenting plan as part of your overall child custody order. The process of creating a parenting plan will allow you both to set expectations concerning communication, transportation, co-parenting duties, and other aspects of raising your child in separate households.
If you and your co-parent cannot work through fundamental differences concerning how this document should be constructed, a judge will need to make a determination regarding whose approach best reflects your child’s best interests. But, if you and your co-parent are willing to work together and with your attorneys to reach mutually-agreeable terms, you can construct this document in whatever ways you both feel are best for everyone.
Sustainability
You and your co-parent can address a variety of issues within the boundaries of your parenting plan. For example, you can detail your parenting time schedule, how you will manage holidays and special occasions, who will be responsible for transportation between houses, and who will pay for your child’s extracurricular activities.
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