What should you include in your parenting plan?

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WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PARENTING PLAN

 

 

PARENTING RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

  • Basic Time Share Schedule:

    • Pick Up/Drop off – times and locations

    • Responsibilities when child is in residential parents* care (*Residential parent is the parent with whom the child(ren) is spending the night.)

    • Telephone contact between child(ren) and non-residential parent: frequency, duration, times for calls, privacy?

    • How will you deal with changes in the regular schedule?

    • Day to day decisions

 

  • Holidays and School Vacations (excluding Summer)

    • Consider how holidays have been celebrated historically in your family

    • What traditions can be kept in place?

    • What new traditions would you like to create together or separately?

    • What will be most important to your child(ren) regarding holidays?

    • Is it most important to divide holidays and school vacations equally or to ensure that you are with your children on the holidays that hold the most significance for you?

    • How do you want to handle three-day weekends (holidays and school in-service days)?

 

  • Summer Vacation:

    • How do you want to plan together for summer activities.  When will you meet to discuss, who is responsible for doing research to find activities, etc.

    • Will you keep the regular time-share schedule, or modify it for the summer.

    • If both parents are working, how will you manage getting the child(ren) to and from activities.

    • How much contiguous time do you each want to have with the child(ren)? Should there be a limit on the amount of time one parent can travel with the children?

    • How will you handle communication and planning about the summer plans?

 

 

  • Extracurricular and Social Activities:

    • How will you decide what activities you child(ren) will be involved in?

    • How do you each want to participate in your child’s activities?

    • How will you handle transportation?

    • How will you manage birthday parties?

    • Will the regular schedule be altered on the birthday of the child(ren) or  parents, or Mother’s/Father’s Day?

 

  • Child Care:

    • What childcare arrangements do you anticipate you will need?

    • Will you share childcare arrangements?

    • How will you select childcare?

    • If the residential parent is unable to be with the child(ren) on his or her time, do you want to agree that the other parent will be offered first opportunity to provide child care, or will you each independently arrange for child care arrangements?


  • Child/ren’s Budget

• What are the child/ren’s expenses?

• How will you pay for these expenses?

• How will you determine the tax exemption each year?

• Medical Insurance: Which parent will be providing the medical insurance

coverage?

• How will the insurance premium be divided?

• How will you divide the out-of-pocket portion not covered by the insurance

Company?

• How will you divide non-emergency, uncovered medical expenses?

• Does that consent need to be in writing?

*  If one parent pays more than their share of an expense, how soon should it be reimbursed?

• Do you want to exchange proof of payments before reimbursements are

made?

 

  • Contact with Significant Others:

    • How do you think your child(ren) will react to a new person in your life?

    • How do you define significant relationship?

    • How will you communicate with each other about new relationships?

    • Do you have any worries about how new relationships may impact your child(ren)?  If yes, what are your concerns?

 

  • Education:

    • How will you make decisions about where your child attends school?

    • How will you coordinate/monitor your child’s schoolwork?

    • How do you each want to be involved in your child’s education/school?

    • What are your thoughts about your child’s educational needs?

    • If you have differing ideas about education, how will you resolve your differences?

 

  • Health Care Issues:

    • How do you anticipate making major medical decisions concerning your child(ren)?  Have you generally agreed in the past?

    • How do you want to decide about which medical professionals will work with your child?

    • How will you handle routine medical appointments?

    • How is the best way for both parents to be informed about the medical appointments or medical care provided to your child(ren).

    • How do you want to handle emergency situations.

 

  • Mental Health Care Issues:

    • How do you want to make decisions regarding mental health care?

 

  • Religion and Cultural Heritage

    • Are there special rites/cultural heritage traditions you would like to pass on to your child(ren)?

    • How will you make decisions related to your child’s involvement with religious activities or cultural events?

 

  • Travel Issues:

    • Who will keep your child’s passport?

    • How will you communicate and what information will you share regarding travel plans, with the child(ren) and without the child(ren).

 

CHANGING NEEDS OF THE CHILD(REN)

  • Ongoing Communication:

    • Regular, scheduled meetings?

    • Periodic review of parenting plan?

    • Best way to communicate: in person, telephone, e-mail