Nowadays, many parents get divorced under mutual consent and most of them develop a parenting plan to raise their children with proper care from both the parents. A parenting plan is a legal document that outlines how a child will be raised until his adulthood or the age when he will become independent, both financially and emotionally. According to the experts of Preschool La Canada Flintridge, CA, parents need to consider the below-mentioned factors while they are drafting their parenting plan.

Location and distance between the homes :

You need to be aware of the location your ex-spouse would be living in after the separation. How far will he/she be living from the children? What would be the distance between the homes? What would be the pick-up or drop off options for your children? These may look or sound trivial but are very important factors to consider before making the parenting plan. Hence the geographical location must play a significant role in ensuring children’s comfortable moving/traveling experience.

Parenting schedules :

Parents should discuss between themselves and include parenting schedules in the plan. For example, it should be written in the document who would be spending time with the child during his summer break or who would plan a vacation with him.

Vacations or holidays :

According to Preschool La Canada Flintridge, CA teachers, children should go for vacations and explore new places during the breaks as these are very important in developing their communication and social skills. So, please ensure your parenting plan includes how and where the child will spend his breaks and who will accompany him.

Healthcare and medical facilities :

Despite being separated, parents need to make sure that their children get the proper healthcare and medical facilities whenever the need be. So please include what should be each parent’s contribution in providing your child with a good medical facility. Try to consider how much time to take off from work to make the arrangements for the doctor’s appointment, and who will be responsible for making key healthcare decisions during times of emergencies.

Dealing with conflicts in schedules :

You may experience times when one parent has to deal with conflicts in another parent’s schedule. For example, it may so happen that weekend visitations are overlapping with special holidays. It is always good to think of some ideas and include them in the parenting plan to avoid conflicts in such situations.

Listing down options :

Preschool La Canada Flintridge, CA teachers have seen many parents whose parenting plan outlines what to be done if one of the two parents is not able to follow the plan for specific days.

Communication with the other parent :

Your parenting plan should include the mode of communication between the parents. It should outline how you are going to communicate with the other parent through mail or SMS or phone calls.

Disciplining the kid :

Raising a disciplined child is quite tough but parents always try their best to teach their kids manners, good behaviors, and habits. For divorced parents, their parenting plan should explain how to discipline the kids, what is acceptable or not, and what types of consequences they kids would face for doing something unacceptable.