On behalf of The Law Office of Gustavo E. Frances, P.A.
A parenting plan describes which parent will be responsible for certain aspects of a child’s life. Whether it is sufficient under Florida law will always depend on what is in the best interests of the child. However, parenting plans make parents’ life easier too—if they are done correctly. You know exactly what your obligations are regarding your child if your plan is developed successfully.
Creating a workable plan can be difficult, but a Fort Lauderdale family law lawyer can be a valuable asset. An experienced professional like Gustavo E. Frances can help you create a plan that addresses issues that you may not have thought about on your own. Creating a comprehensive plan will make joint-parenting much easier to manage.
- Be as extensive as possible.
Take some time to think about the daily obligations that you have that relate to your child. Make a list of each of these items and determine who will take responsibility for these tasks. For example, if you know that your child regularly has soccer games on Saturdays and he or she will have those for the foreseeable future, include who will take the child to these games in your plan. This is your plan, and you can be as specific as you would like.
- Create a plan that will grow with you.
Being detailed while also creating some room for flexibility will allow the plant to grow with your child. Keep in mind that school activities and daycare change over time. Speaking in generalities (such as saying “activities” instead of “soccer practice”) will help you avoid having to go back to court to modify a parenting plan. This process can be tricky, but your Fort Lauderdale family law attorney will be able to help you craft a system that will work well for your family.
- Determine how to communicate with the other parent as part of your plan.
Communication is extremely important for co-parenting that works well. Sometimes couples who got divorced or are separated have a hard time communicating because of the contentious nature of their relationship. You can consider this concern as part of your parenting plan and build a way to keep up with changes and other important aspects of your child’s life.
For example, if something happens at school, your plan may require that you email, text, or call the other parent to tell them what happened. You may also have a provision that deals with updates from doctor’s appointments, report cards, or additional necessary information.
- Create a dispute resolution process.
If you and the other parent have a problem regarding the parenting plan, how are you going to resolve it? Going back to court to ask a judge to help is expensive and time-consuming. Is there another way that you can take care of a dispute on your own? You can build in this type of consideration, and your Fort Lauderdale family law attorney can help provide a few ideas on how you can do this.
Call The Law Office of Gustavo E. Frances, P.A. for more information about creating a parenting plan that fits well for your situation: 954-297-6546.
