Using Provisions to Strengthen Your Parenting Plan

 Posted on September 23, 2019 in Child Custody

Your parenting agreement is the document that determines your rights and responsibilities as a co-parent, such as when the children will be with each parent and who has the authority to make parenting decisions. However, there are many other aspects of parenting that co-parents need to agree on. Adding provisions to your parenting agreement can clarify how you will raise your children and how you will make decisions with your co-parent.

What Are Provisions?

Provisions refer to the terms of a parenting plan that address decision-making responsibilities and parenting time schedules. It is best to wait until you have completed the basic structure of your parenting plan before you start adding additional provisions. Provisions in a parenting agreement are helpful because they can create:

• Guidelines for how you will raise your children, which creates more consistency between the two homes
• A system for when and how you will communicate with your co-parent
• A process for making temporary adjustments to the parenting agreement when circumstances require it

Examples of Provisions

The provisions in your parenting plan can be as specific as you want, as long as they do not violate state parenting laws. Common examples of provisions include:

• What the parents will do when there is a conflict with the parenting schedule, such as a right of first refusal
• How the parents will transport the children between the two homes
• Rules and discipline methods for the children
• Whether certain relatives or friends are not allowed to be alone with the children
• Rules for electronic communications between parents and children
• An agreement that the co-parents will encourage their children to have a relationship with the other parent
• The type of education that the children will receive and how each parent will stay informed about the children’s academic performance
• Which religious faith the children should be instructed in
• Which extracurricular activities the children can participate in and who will pay for them
• Where the child is allowed to travel and how far in advance the other parent must be notified of the travel
• When parents must inform each other about doctor visits and child illnesses

Contact a St. Charles Divorce Attorney

You will decide which provisions to add to your parenting agreement by determining which parenting issues are most important to you and which scenarios are most likely to occur. A Kane County divorce attorney at Goostree Law Group can discuss potential provisions in your parenting plan and explain how they would affect your co-parenting relationship. To schedule a free consultation, call 630-584-4800.

Source:

https://www.ourfamilywizard.com/blog/including-provisions-your-parenting-plan