Parents want to minimize the trauma that their child experiences if they and their spouse decide to get a divorce. They want to assure their child that their divorce has nothing to do with them and that they are still loved. One way that parents can do this is by developing a comprehensive parenting agreement or plan. Agreeing to a parenting plan can help diffuse a lot of child custody issues that can arise during a divorce. But what specific issues can a parenting plan help with?
A solid parenting plan can spell out the visitation schedule for the non custodial parent and exactly what holidays the child will spend with each parent. The parents can also use this document to outline how their child will be raised and how the major decisions for that child will be determined. The parenting plan can also include specific language regarding visitation with the grandparents and other family members.
A good parenting plan can be negotiated between the attorneys for the divorcing spouses through mediation or it may even be drawn up informally by the parents themselves. The specifics of a parenting plan can vary depending on each case, but generally, they determine exactly how certain aspects of the child's life will be dealt with. This can include exactly who will have child custody and where the child will live once the parents are divorced.
A parenting plan can be submitted to a court for its approval. A court may then request a hearing regarding the plan in order to answer any questions it may have about it. If the court believes that the document has been developed with the best interests of the child in mind, it can then approve the plan and make it part of the official divorce agreement.
Developing a solid parenting plan is one way that parents can help their children through their divorce. However, any Virginia resident who is going through a divorce may want to speak with a child custody attorney in order to determine if a parenting plan can help them.
Source: family.findlaw.com, "The parenting agreement", Accessed August 28, 2016
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