Maintaining the focus on your children during the divorce process is key to helping them thrive. If you are wondering about how to smooth the transition, considering a parenting plan may benefit your family and help ensure peace and harmony in the future.
What is a parenting plan?
A parenting plan is a formal agreement usually written out by divorcing parents that discusses how they plan to share child custody. It is often filed with the court and asked to be a binding legal document. Through working on this plan together, you and your co-parent can determine what will work best for your children and family.
Writing out a full parenting plan means that each parent discusses the intricate details of how you will spend time with your children, both now and as the years progress. Ideally, when you are crafting the parenting plan, you want to be as thorough as possible to encompass various child custody issues. Having difficult discussions while drafting the plan can save a significant amount of time and hurt in the future.
How a parenting plan benefits your children
Most importantly, having a parenting plan can provide your children with greater stability during a turbulent time in their lives. Your children will now have greater clarity on how and when they will spend time with each parent. Through the establishment of a parenting plan, your children remain your primary focus, and you can go through your divorce with added peace of mind.
Another great aspect of it is that it serves as a guiding document for your child custody agreement and can help restore harmony during a trying time. It can also help reduce conflict and encourage cooperation throughout the divorce process. And ultimately, it solidifies how you plan to continue to work with your co-parent to raise your loving children in a respectful and civil manner.
Living through a divorce can be taxing for all involved. However, by sitting down with your co-parent to create a parenting plan, you can each take a step toward re-establishing balance for your children.
