Divorce Tips: Creating a Parenting Plan in California

Divorcing a spouse in California can be a complex experience and process. This may be particularly true if you and your spouse have children together.

That said, while navigating these issues is rarely easy, it also doesn’t necessarily need to be as challenging as you may expect. If you and your spouse are able to have civil discussions about important topics regarding your children, you may be able to generate a parenting plan that addresses such essential matters as:

• Custody arrangements
• Visitation schedule
• The degree to which you will allow your children to maintain reasonable contact with you and your spouse
• The manner in which you will communicate with one another when making decisions about your child’s upbringing and future
• The responsibilities each parent will have

A thorough parenting plan that reasonably satisfies all parties involved can help reduce stress for everyone when two spouses with kids choose to end their marriage. If you wish to develop such a plan with your spouse, the following tips may help you do so successfully:

Agree You Want What’s Best for the Kids

Now is not the time to “get revenge” on a spouse for any wrongdoings, whether real or imagined. Your goal when creating a parenting plan is to ensure you’re providing for the best interests of your children.

Don’t just commit to this goal personally. Make sure you and your spouse clearly understand you’re both on the same page in regard to why you’re working together on a parenting plan. If you agree that you’re doing this for your kids, you’ll begin the process while standing on positive common ground.

Ask Questions and Be Specific

When suggesting anything you wish to include in a parenting plan, make sure you’re as specific as possible. You don’t want arguments or disputes to arise later because there was some degree of misunderstanding between you and your spouse regarding an aspect of the plan.

Similarly, when your spouse makes a suggestion, if you need more clarification to ensure you fully understand precisely what they are suggesting, ask for it. Your parenting plan should be thorough and detailed when it’s complete.

Be Realistic

You need to account for various practical factors when developing a parenting plan you’ll be able to stick to. For example, perhaps you and your spouse are likely to live relatively far from one another when your divorce is finalized. If so, you need to factor this in when addressing visitation and other such elements of a parenting plan.

Be aware that divorce is already fairly disruptive to a child’s life. By accounting for practical details when generating a parenting plan, you’ll be less likely to make plans that might end up resulting in even greater disruption.

Coordinate With Professionals

Your finalized parenting plan needs to align with California’s custody laws and other relevant laws. This is one of many reasons to enlist the help of a California divorce attorney when working on your plan. Your lawyer can also facilitate productive discussions with your spouse and take steps to ensure your rights are protected.

At the Law Offices of Teresa A. Beyers, an experienced Los Angeles divorce attorney is on hand to assist you with the task of developing a parenting plan that’s fair to all who will be affected by it. That includes you and your kids. Learn more by contacting us online or calling us at 213-236-4400.