As you and your spouse go through your divorce, you must work on a parenting plan that can highlight your shared duties as parents to your children. While every family’s situation is different, the opportunity to remain a big part of your children’s lives is something that should come naturally to both of you.
To help you and your spouse get started on your New York co-parenting plan, here are two key factors about this agreement that you should know about:
How does a parenting plan work?
When parents have joint physical and legal custody, their parenting plan outlines each of their schedules with their children, including their respective number of overnights with them and how they plan to share decision-making authority over their children’s upbringing.
On the other hand, a parent with sole physical custody has more control over the details of their parenting plan. However, their plan will still need to highlight their ex-spouse’s visitation schedule and other conditions (if any).
What information should be in the parenting plan?
Since you and your spouse share custody of your children, your co-parenting plan can become more personalized. Here are nine key details that should be included in your document:
- Weekday and weekend schedule
- Drop-off and pickup routines
- School events and extracurricular activities
- Vacations, school breaks and holidays
- Health check-ups
- Each parent’s and the children’s birthdays
- Decision making agreements
- Communication rules
- Dispute resolution
You can also add your own conditions for other important matters like relocation, out-of-state travel and international trips.
By working together to create an effective parenting plan for your children, you help provide them with emotional security and a stable living environment.
