The parenting plan you create when you divorce will be key to the effectiveness of the co-parenting that follows.
To an extent, you will be planning for the unknown as you cannot predict exactly how the next few years will play out. However, the court would expect you to cover certain areas. Here are some of them:
How you’ll communicate
While you might not want to talk to your soon-to-be ex, you will still need to while your children grow. It does not need to be face-to-face, and it may be better to restrict it to emails or texts where possible. By putting some rules on your communication, it reduces the chance that one parent annoys the other by ringing at inconvenient times.
It’s also important that each parent can contact their child when they are not staying with them. Again, without upsetting the other parent by ringing non-stop or in the middle of the night.
How you’ll pay for unexpected expenses
Child support is one thing, but there will also be costs that catch you both by surprise. Examples might include a school trip or medical expenses when they injure themselves. Will you split these evenly? Will the parent who is with the child at the time pay? Working it out now reduces the chance of arguments later and makes it more likely the money is available when needed.
Those are just two of the many things you need to consider. It’s wise to get legal help to find out more about creating an effective parenting plan when you divorce.