A co-parenting plan is used by parents who are already divorced or by parents who were never married. It provides a venue for continued discussion and resolution of issues related to their children as they grow older.
By focusing on the child’s best interest and proactively addressing and resolving disagreements can help parents avoid conflicts in the future. Thinking ahead of time about children’s needs and emotional sensitivities goes a long way toward easing their stress, especially when a new decision needs to be made down the road. A co-parenting plan can be a legally-binding agreement that might address the following:
- Day-to-day decision making
- Household rules
- Discipline
- Friends
- Discussion of events and issues
- Alcohol, drugs and smoking
- Visitation by immediate and/or extended family
- Education
- Modification or clarification of any issue addressed in the Custody or Property Settlement Agreement