Co-Parenting Agreements

For parents who were never married

Sometimes all that parents who never married each other need is a written agreement about their parenting plan. Where will the kids be for school days and nights? What about weekends, school breaks, summers, and holidays? Having a written agreement reduces misunderstandings and future disputes. It makes planning special events easier for both parents and for their children. Children benefit from knowing in advance which parent they will stay with on any given day or week.

For parents who need to update their parenting plan

Life happens. Kids get older and their needs change. One parent remarries and stepchildren come into the picture. Both parents change employers. The communication system that initially worked well enough breaks down. Parents need to modify the parenting plan they made when they were divorcing.

Professional Support

If you want professional assistance with negotiations about co-parenting, mediation is the most cooperative and least distressing process for re-evaluating and revising the schedule. A mediator can work with you as you consider the needs of your children, their schedules, parents’ schedules, holiday traditions, and other factors likely to influence your updated parenting schedule.

Court?

Some co-parents are comfortable settling their new plan and following through with no need to involve a court. Others have concerns about enforcing the schedule if the co-parent does not follow it.  The new parenting plan can be submitted to a court with a request to incorporate it into a court order if either party asks the court to do that. (Some courts still use the less friendly terms “custody” and “visitation” when writing orders about parenting schedules.)