No matter how difficult or painful going through a divorce may be, it is important to make sure your main priority is always in the best interest of the kids. As any family attorney will tell you, one of the best ways to help your child thrive after a divorce is having a clear and fair parenting plan in place. The parenting plan will provide you and your child the structure needed to avoid conflict and ensure stability for everyone involved. The following are five of the most helpful tips we’ve seen based on our years of experience serving as Florida divorce lawyers.
Make the Parenting Schedule a Top Priority
You will have a lot of things that need to be taken care of during your divorce, but none of them are more important than the parenting plan. When negotiating your divorce, it is usually a good idea to start with the parenting plan so you can provide your kids with a clear schedule right from the beginning. This will also help prevent any problems that are created later in the negotiations to negatively impact your parenting plan.
Be Reasonable When Scheduling Parenting Time
It can be tempting for each parent to really push to have their children at all times. Nobody, after all, wants to miss any important events in their kids’ lives. While this may be what you want, it is not what is best for the children (in almost all cases), and it certainly isn’t fair. When splitting up parenting time, do what you can to ensure each parent is able to be with the kids as much as possible. It doesn’t make sense, for example, for one parent to have the kids with a babysitter or home alone when the other one is free to watch them. Look at work and school schedules closely, and make the parenting plan reflect the reality of your schedules.
What Do the Kids Want?
While very small children can’t, and shouldn’t, pick where they want to be and when, older kids should be given some input. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should put all the responsibility on the kids, as that can be very difficult. Instead, ask what they would like and make sure to at least consider it when negotiating the parenting plan.
Include Special Events
Everyone has special events in their lives that might not be naturally included in a generic parenting plan. If, for example, your family has a reunion each year, it is possible to include that in the parenting plan to ensure your child can attend. Just remember, however, that including a special event like this for you means it is important to allow your ex to do the same.
Identify How Exceptions Will Be Handled
No matter how comprehensive your parenting plan is, there will always need to be some type of adjustment “on the fly” as you go about living your life. You can include instructions on how these types of changes should be made. For example, indicating that any change requests to the parenting plan should be made via email so there is written documentation, and a request for change should be made at least one week in advance.
If you need help crafting a parenting plan that benefits everyone involved, please contact a Florida family lawyer. At Farber Law, you will meet with an experienced Florida divorce attorney who will work with you to create a fair and balanced parenting plan.
About the Author: Helena Y. Farber is an attorney in Aventura, Florida, whose practice is concentrated in the areas of divorce and family law. She can be reached at (305) 520-9205 or via email at hyf@faberlawpa.com
Disclaimer: The attorney makes this Blog available for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the Blog. The Blog should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.