Though it is difficult to fathom, a divorce means that children involved will no longer be spending their whole time under one roof with both their parents. Instead, their time, school events and holidays will be split between parents. One way to create a successful agreement about how time will be divided and child custody is handled is by creating a parenting plan.
A parenting plan can help judges figure out how to resolve a child custody disagreement between parents by putting forth an agreement about schedules and children’s activities. Pennsylvania law outlines the contents of a parenting plan and the form it should take.
The parenting plan should include the healthcare and childcare arrangements of the children in question, the schedule for personal control and care, including parenting time, holidays and vacations, the educational and religious instruction of the child, how changes will be dealt with as well as breaches, as well as any other matter required by the court. Additionally, the law leaves open room for parents to add additional information, as it includes matters that are in the best interests of the child.
The hope is that parents can agree on the salient points and avoid bitter child custody disputes. Additionally, having these matters resolved can avoid turmoil and disagreement prior to the actual event-each parent will know who has the children on which holiday and who will have custody of the children on any given day. In order to create a successful and enforceable plan, communication is key between parents and where this is not possible, an experienced attorney may be able to act as a go-between so the children’s best interests are kept at the forefront.
