Simple Divorce Papers

Parenting plans are usually written in every-day language and list point by point all the agreements made between separating parents about how they will continue to parent their children. They can be much more detailed and comprehensive than court orders and because they are agreed upon by the parents rather than imposed by a judge, they are much more likely to appropriately address the real needs of the children. In a hearing the judge can only see a snapshot of your children’s lives while as parents you are part of the motion picture. This gives you and your spouse a much better perspective from which to plan their upbringing.

Parenting plans should address any realistically conceivable situation which may arise in parenting your children: who will be responsible for decision making; what time will the children spend with each parent; what will they take with them when they move from house to house; what about phone calls, vacations, pets. There are countless types of decisions to be made in raising children and how these are to be made ought to be clearly spelled out in a parenting plan.

Parenting plans can be incorporated into court orders or separation agreements making them legally binding upon the parents. However, disagreements are still likely to arise and so parenting plans ought to describe how such disagreements will be resolved – usually by mandating mediation and only going to court as a last resort.