If you have decided to share custody of your children with your ex-spouse, you are heading into uncharted waters. While you may not agree with your former partner’s parenting style, you can likely rely on him or her to make good parenting decisions. Still, if you are looking for additional certainty, you should have a comprehensive parenting plan in place. You do not want to leave your post-divorce parenting to chance. With an effective parenting plan, you provide a framework for co-parenting your kids.
Parents typically enjoy wide latitude in negotiating and drafting parenting plans. While including visitation schedules, parental duties and dispute resolution is standard, there are some less common provisions. When drafting your agreement, it is helpful to include both common and less common provisions. After all, anything you do to reduce friction is apt to be good for your family.
Here are four provisions you may want to put into your parenting plan.
- Hairstyles
For some reason, child haircuts can often be a source of disagreement for divorced parents. Therefore, you may want to outline a procedure for both parents to follow when changing the physical appearance of the kids.
- Comments
Because your parent-child relationship is sacred, you do not want your ex-spouse to sabotage it. Using your parenting plan to expressly prohibit disparaging comments may be a smart choice.
- Communication
Parents have the right to communicate with their children. Still, if your ex-spouse invasively texts or calls during your parenting time, you may have a problem. Therefore, you may want to add a provision to your parenting plan that proactively addresses how each co-parent may communicate with the kids.
- Technology
Many children and teenagers nowadays have access to smartphones, tablets, computers and video games. Because co-parents may not see eye-to-eye on screen time, you may want to address technology usage in your parenting plan.