Sure, divorce involves a variety of issues that Pennsylvania couples need to resolve such as property division, spousal support and child support. Even so, you may agree with many other divorcing couples that dealing with child custody and parenting plans may constitute a particularly challenging aspect of family law. Both parents want to be as involved in their children’s lives as possible despite the end of the marriage. Making that happen could take some work and planning.
The first step in creating a parenting plan is understanding what to address in it. These documents are often about much more than who has the kids on what days, which represents the physical custody portion of the plan. Legal custody also needs addressing, which is how you and the other parent will make the major decisions in the children’s lives such as where they go to school, the religion they practice (if any) and how to handle health care decisions.
You may want to address custody exchanges, vacations and holidays. In addition, your plan can address how to handle school and other social events of the children. Will you attend birthday parties together? Will you both attend extracurricular activities?
Whether you include how to handle these issues in your parenting plan, they will come up at some point. Addressing them in this agreement could eliminate the possibility of confrontations about these events in the future. In fact, you may also want to outline how you and the other parent will deal with any confrontations that arise. After all, even married parents do not always agree when it comes to the children.
Creating a parenting plan may seem like a daunting task, but it does not have to be. If you work with a Pennsylvania family law attorney, doing so could remove some of the stress and frustration that accompanies the process. Knowing that you have an advocate by your side who understands the applicable laws and keeps your rights in mind at every turn could prove invaluable.
Source: thespruce.com, “What Every Father Needs to Know About Parenting Plans“, Wayne Parker, Accessed on April 8, 2018
