As parents considering divorce, you and your spouse have many decisions to make. One of the most important decisions you’ll face is about crafting your parenting plan. When you and your spouse realize that you are headed for divorce, you need to sit down to create a parenting plan immediately. By creating your parenting plan early on, you increase the odds that your child will have a smoother transition with the divorce process. Here are four tips to create a fair parenting plan.
1. Be logical
You and your spouse both want what’s best for your child. By creating a parenting plan early in the divorce process, you both prove you are invested in your child’s health and happiness. However, when it comes to actually creating the plan, it can be tough to not get emotional.
Naturally, you want to spend as much time with your child as possible. Honestly, your spouse probably wants that, too. Instead of making decisions about what you or your spouse want, think about what would be best for your child. For example, you want to ensure your child can still attend his or her school and participate in the usual after-school activities. If either you or your spouse are moving away from the area, that might impact where your child should spend the most time during the school week.
2. Be fair
Both of you want to spend time with your child, and it’s important for your child to have a relationship with both parents. When you’re creating your parenting plan, you should always try to offer suggestions that are fair to both you and your spouse. A good rule of thumb is that you should never make a suggestion that you wouldn’t be willing to accept.
3. Be consistent
Once your parenting plan is complete, it’s important for you and your spouse to stick to the plan. Do your very best to avoid making any sort of changes. The sooner your child can have a consistent schedule, the sooner he or she will be better able to adapt to the divorce.
You should also be consistent in one method of communicating with your spouse. It can be difficult to try to track messages and information in a variety of ways, so choose one way to communicate and stick to it. This way, you should greatly reduce the potential for missed messages and miscommunication.
4. Be your own advocate
When you and your spouse are creating the parenting plan, don’t accept a plan that denies you parental rights. Speak up for yourself to ensure you get to spend quality time with your child that you deserve. If your spouse won’t negotiate, talk to a qualified family lawyer for advice.
Are You Thinking of Divorce?
If you are thinking about getting a divorce, the professionals at KL Family Law are here to answer any questions you may have. Our family law attorneys are passionate about standing up for our clients’ rights and helping them through this difficult time. To find out how we can help, give us a call today at 714-372-2217 or contact us online.
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