How to Create a Parenting Plan
The state of Colorado offers a simple form that can be used to create a parenting plan. It neatly lays out who will be the caretaker of the children during which weekdays, holidays, weekends, and summer vacations. It outlines how decisions will be made, including parenting, religious, medical, dental, and mental health. It puts in writing who will pay child support and how much. While each line looks very simple on the paper, each decision can be painful and agonizing. You and your Denver based child support lawyer will need to work through this form to create a parenting plan that works for all parties.
Consider Your Children First
As you make your plan, you and your former spouse may have specific ideas about what will work well for your needs and schedules, but before that you should consider what is best for your child. How will moving back and forth between residences impact their education, extracurriculars, and mental well-being? How will the schedule you create impact your child’s relationship with you and with your former spouse. Be sure to think long term. What might work now, may not work as your child grows and it will be ok to tweak and change the parenting plan in the future.
50/50 Or Different Plan
Many coparents create a plan in which each parent has fifty percent of the child’s time in their home. This works very well for some families. However, due to work schedules, school schedules, and distance between homes and other significant locations, different arrangements need to be made. You may need to consider longer periods of time in some households, such as the school year in one location and summer break in another.
Organize
If you choose a 50/50 plan you will need to be very organized about communication. Each parent will need to know about forms due at school, homework assignments, conferences, extracurricular schedules and payment due dates. There are several parenting apps that can help you stay organized and communicate with your coparent. Parent Magazine suggests apps such as OurFamilyWizard or Coparently to help you communicate effectively between both parties.
Work Together
The Colorado parenting plan form can be filled out and submitted jointly, two forms individually, or if there is no parenting plan submitted, the courts will create their own. Ideally both parties can collaborate to create a plan that will work well for everyone. However it can be difficult talk calmly and effectively with a former spouse. You can use written communication, such as each filling out a plan and then using email to work through the different details. Even if you can agree on most terms, determining something like child support can be very difficult. Consider contacting a child support lawyer in Denver, CO to help walk you through the details and manage disputes. Using something like mediation if you can’t agree could help you avoid the court deciding on a parenting plan for you.
Remember that this parenting plan will become a court order. You can present changes to the plan as necessary, but try to create something that will work for you, your children, and your former spouse. It may be a difficult process, but working to make all parties satisfied will have the best results.