After a divorce, Texas parents will need to continue co-parenting their children. A parenting plan that goes beyond the basic schedule and addresses a wide range of concerns can help ensure a successful transition.
The core of the parenting plan
The center of any parenting plan is the schedule. This is where parents establish when the children will be spending time with each of them. It also includes when parents will be picking up their children from school or activities for exchanges. It should also include the times when the exchanges will take place.
The details that strengthen parenting plans
Child custody, however, is not just about the parenting schedule. There is a lot more than goes into raising children and ideally, most of those details should also be addressed in the parenting plan. These important details include:
- How parents will handle children’s birthdays, special events and vacation periods
- Which parent will be responsible for safekeeping of important documents such as passports, medical records, etc.
- Which parent will be the contact person to speak with medical personnel, educators or other professionals involved in their children’s lives
- What rules and routines will be followed at both homes to offer stability for the children
- How and when parents will let the children know if they are in a new relationship
- How parents will address religious education
- How parents will communicate and the methods they will use to solve issues
The future can be unpredictable. No parenting plan can include any and every concern. Just as people continue to evolve in their lives so do families, and parents might encounter challenges in the future that they could not predict. However, they can use their plan as the base on how to address these issues in the future as well.