5 Tips for Parents Creating a Parenting Plan
When children are involved, a divorce becomes far more complicated than deciding who gets the house and who gets the car. Long-term plans must be made to ensure that the children’s welfare, both financially and emotionally, are cared for. This is where a parenting plan comes in.
The District of Columbia and Maryland have laws that pertain to child custody, access, and visitation that should be followed by both parents. For that reason, the court may require parties to submit a detailed parenting plan to the court. A parenting plan is a custody agreement, made by both parents, that outlines parental rights and responsibilities for each parent and serves as the basis for how the children will be raised.
Here are 5 tips that can help in making an effective parenting plan:
1) Decide on access and visitation.
One of the most important parts of an effective parenting plan is the visitation schedule. Just as no two families are the same, no two visitation schedules will be the same. It can be more complex if the parents live a significant distance apart, in different states or even different countries, which would make weekly visits or alternate weekends impractical. If the visitation schedule is defined ahead of time and both parents agree to it, future conflicts regarding access can be avoided.
2) How will medical decisions be handled?
Another important area that a parenting plan should address involves any medical decisions that need to be made. These decisions can range from a child’s braces to long-term life dependent medications and can include which parent is to make the majority of the decisions for the medical treatments. For example, if both parents have extended medical coverage through their employment, which parent will have him or her on their medical plan.
3) How will the child’s education be addressed?
An effective parenting plan will also need to address any educational decisions for the child. Some of these decisions may include: will the child attend public or private school; what kind of school will the child attend; what kind of extracurricular activities will the child participate in; and how will these expenses be divided between the parents. Of course, every situation is unique and will depend on your specific set of circumstances.
4) Plan how the parties will deal with vacations and holidays.
Both parents will also need to plan out how vacations and trips will be handled. If either parent wants to take the child across either state or national borders, consent may be necessary from the other parent. Without taking this into account and making sure that both sides understand this, a family vacation to Disneyland or visiting grandparents down south over the holidays could wind up turning into a major legal headache.
5) Planning for the long haul.
Long term planning must also be made because as a child grows, their needs will change. Visitation schedules may need to be adjusted around school and extracurricular activities. Changes in employment might also require changes in the access and visitation schedules.
Having a well-designed parenting plan will not guarantee that there won’t be disagreements and conflicts in the future, but if both parents agree to the plan and are willing to act in the best interest of the child, these conflicts can be kept to a minimum.
Designing a complete and effective parenting plan is a complex undertaking but can play a vital role in helping your child develop into adulthood. Call us at (202) 627-6809, or email us at info@garnerlawpllc.com to let the experienced team at Garner Law PLLC help guide you through this important process.