As the children become accustomed to the idea of divorce and no longer living with both parents in Washington, it is important that both parties involved are committed to creating a parenting plan that supports and encourages the children. During a divorce, it is easy to get caught up in the anger and resentment and it is often hard to work with an ex, but the truth is that negotiation is extremely important when it comes to the future of every child.
Verywellfamily suggests that parents consider the logistics before making a parenting plan. Those who plan to spend a generous amount of time with their children should consider that they should live close to one another. Check on bussing to and from school from both residences and discuss the location of your childcare center.
Parents should also do their best to put themselves in their child’s shoes. With so many changes, many kids struggle with moving back and forth from one home to another. As a parenting plan is created, parents must consider what the average day will look like for their child with every change.
According to Avvo, there are several things that parents must consider when creating a parenting plan. These include holiday and vacation schedules, communication, transportation, the school year schedule, the child’s routine, any special needs the child has and how disagreements will be handled. The agreement may need to be updated in the future and parents should discuss how often they want to revisit the plan.
Parenting plans are violated when one parent refuses to give custody of the children to the other parent at the specified times, when one party is consistently late or does not show up for the switch of custody and when a parent misses court-ordered visitation times. The occasional slip-up is expected but violating an order can result in legal consequences.
