Divorce and Child Custody: What is a Parenting Plan?
When parents divorce or separate and a child is involved decisions about where the child will live, how the child will be raised, and the routine decision making about the childs upbringing is often a difficult and emotional issue for parents to sort out in the mist of their divorce. With so many decisions that need to be made in the context of a divorce and child custody situation it is not uncommon for the parents to become frustrated, stressed, and overwhelmed especially if they do not know where to begin. So where does a parent involved in a divorce and child custody begin? You can begin by working on a parenting plan separately or together that takes into consideration your childs needs and also reflects what you believe to be in the overall best interest of your child.
A parenting plan is a document that outlines the parenting schedule or timeshare and can include each parents responsibilities to raise their child. A parenting plan can be lengthy and detailed or it can be brief and simple. A parenting plan should include the standard parenting schedule, which can include where the child will live during the week and weekends and who will be responsible for taking and picking the child up from school and other activities on certain days. Additionally, the parenting plan can address the holidays, summer vacations, and how other special days during the year will be divided between the parents. Regardless of what is included in your parenting plan it should be predictable, clear, and easy to understand. Further, the parenting plan should take into consideration the needs of the child and reflect his/her overall best interest.
Because the family dynamics vary from family to family there is no one-size-fits-all parenting plan that works well for all families. Some parents may have a shared parenting plan, which allows the child frequent and continuous contact and/or to live with each parent 50% of the time. Other parenting plans may limit one parents contact to every other weekend plus a mid-week visit or mid-week overnight. Other parenting plans may be further restrictive allowing for dinner visits but no overnights.
Although it is wise to create a parenting plan that you believe reflects the best interest of your child, it is also wise to consider consulting an attorney to learn where you stand legally on your particular matter before entering into any proposed parenting plan agreement. This is especially important in cases where you believe the other party has ulterior motives or is not working in good-faith to build a parenting plan that truly reflects the overall best interest of your child.
2007 Child Custody Coach
Child Custody Coach supplies information, online materials, and coaching services to parents in the field of child custody, namely, divorce, child custody and visitation, child custody evaluations, 730 evaluations, parenting, and all issues related to child custody and divorce. "How to Win Child Custody - Proven Strategies that can Win You Custody and Save You Thousands in Attorney Cost!" is a unique child custody strategy guide written by The Custody Coach and made available by Child Custody Coach in an easy to read, understand, and apply E-Book format. Custody Match is an online consumer and family law attorney matching service to help you in your search for the right attorney for your divorce or child custody case. Custody Match can help you find the right family law attorney, divorce lawyer, or child custody attorney in your area.
Divorce and Child Custody: Benefits of a Detailed Parenting Plan
When parents come to an agreement on a detailed parenting plan that reflects the overall best interest of their child they will often enjoy a more stable, predictable, and consistent schedule by reducing the amount of misunderstandings, conflicts, and legal costs often associated with litigation and the courts. A parenting plan is a document that ...
Child Custody: Child Custody Orders and Judicial Authority
For many divorced and separated parents with children there will be a common answer as to why they ended up with the child custody and visitation arrangement they have. The answer being, the judge decided it. In other words, the judge chose the parenting arrangement you have based on his/her belief of what was in your childs best interest.Judges ...
Child Custody and Child Visitation Disputes: The Best and Worst Case
When a divorce or dissolution of marriage is brought before the family court, child visitation is considered at the same time and according to similar factors as child custody. The term stands for the time in which the non-custodial parent is allowed to meet or visit with his/her child. However, under certain circumstances a parent can be denied ch...
Divorce and Child Custody - Types of Child Custody Agreements
When children are at stake in a divorce, it may complicate and delay the issuance of the divorce decree. In some cases the courtroom has become a battle field for parents who are disputing the role of the custodial parent or disputing child custody. In such cases, judges today are often ordering a child custody evaluation of the family by experts i...
Child Custody Basics Rights, Residency, and Relationship
Child custody is a legal term that is often used by the family courts to describe the rights and responsibilities of divorced parents and their minor children, the residency or placement of the children, and the relationship and/or amount of contact the children have with each parent. When divorced parents are unable to agree on such issues, the f...
California Child Custody - Who Gets Custody?
Like most states, the standard for child custody determinations in California is the overall best interest of the child with an emphasis on assuring the health, safety, and welfare of the child and frequent and continuing contact with both parents absent child abuse, domestic violence, or where the contact would not be in the best interest of the c...
Child Custody Joint Custody and the Best Interest of the Child Standard
In the best interest of the child or childs best interest is the famous mantra of the family court, which is prevalent in child custody proceedings today, yet its interpretation by the family court or judges is often arbitrary and its meaning is still obscure. Moreover, the law regarding child custody varies from state to state leaving no uniform ...