If you’re moving through the divorce process, you know that you’ll face a variety of challenges as the days go by. This is even more so the case if you have at least one child with the other person.
While it’s not the ideal situation, there are things you can do during and after your divorce to ensure that your child continues to lead a good life. For instance, you’ll want to work with the other parent in an attempt to negotiate a parenting agreement.
Although no two parenting agreements are exactly the same, there are some elements that you should consider including. Here are some of the many details to think about up front:
- The parent who will have physical custody (this is where the child will live)
- The parent with legal custody (this could be both parents)
- Visitation schedules for the non-custodial parent
- The parent with whom the child will spend birthdays, holidays and any other major events throughout the year
- The best way to deal with contact with other family members, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles
- A system for dealing with any changes to the parenting agreement in the future
- A system for dealing with any disputes that arise
These are among the more important details to include in a parenting agreement, but as the process pushes forward you may realize that there are other things to discuss. If it’s important to you or the other parent, it’s something you need to bring to light.
Once you settle on all the details, it’s time to send the parenting agreement for court approval. While not always the case, there is a chance that an informal court hearing could be scheduled. This gives the judge the opportunity to ask a few basic questions, such as if both parents are happy with the agreement.
As you go through a divorce, you hope that you can put this in the past as soon as possible. The last thing you want to do is make decisions that could cause more grief in the future.
Through the creation of a parenting agreement, you can avoid common challenges that have plagued many before you. When you combine this with knowledge of your legal rights, you’ll know what you should and shouldn’t be doing.