If you are getting divorced in Wheat Ridge or Jefferson County and you have kids, a parenting plan is a vital part of the child custody process. Parenting plans set the guidelines for how the children are to be raised and which parent handles certain responsibilities. Having a solid parenting plan is necessary for effective co-parenting. With your children’s best interest at heart, it’s always best to cooperate with your co-parent. Your parenting plan should be a roadmap on how to address situations that may arise, which will allow for quicker resolutions and less stress.
What to Address in a Parenting Plan: An Expert Lakewood Divorce Attorney Advises
If this is your first divorce or you have not dealt with child custody issues in the past, then you may be at a complete loss as to what should be included in a parenting plan. Here are a few ideas of things that should be laid out in your Lakewood and Mountainview divorce parenting plan:
- Scheduling: Your parenting plan should include specifics as to when each parent will have the children, including weekends, holidays, birthdays, summers, school breaks, etc. If you are alternating holidays each year or maintaining the same schedule always, you should note that in the plan.
- Child Support / Finances: You should carefully discuss how the finances will work regarding your children. If one parent is paying child support, that should be noted. If other expenses related to the kids comes up, how will that be handled?
- Decision Making: You will want to outline who has the authority to make decisions when it comes to the children. You will need to think about big decisions like religious, educational, medical decisions, along with the day-to-day decision responsibilities.
- Procedures for Disagreements: What will your process be should you and your co-parent not agree on something related to the child? You can specify the steps that will be taken to work out an agreement.
- Additional Guidelines: If there is anything else you want you and your co-parent to be on the same page about, you can add that to the parenting plan. You may address discipline, new partners, curfews, etc.
These are just a few of the points you want to address in a parenting plan. An experienced child custody attorney will know exactly what you need to include to make sure you and your co-parent are on the same page – avoiding future conflicts.
If you are ready for a parenting plan, contact the best family law attorneys from the Pearman Law Firm at 720-259-9528 for a phone consultation.
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