Co-Parenting Issues to Address in Your Parenting Plan

 Posted on November 26, 2024 in Family Law

Divorce means moving on from your marriage and re-imagining your future. However, if you have children, you will be tied to your ex for a very long time as co-parents. Regardless of the terms of your allocation of parental responsibility or which parent is the designated primary residential parent and which has parenting time, you will need to find ways to make joint decisions for your children.

Parents who had a very acrimonious divorce may need to limit their interactions to the extent possible, while others learn how to maintain a fairly healthy relationship after the divorce. An option that is becoming increasingly popular for divorced parents is known as co-parenting. Co-parenting means that the two of you will work together to ensure your children’s best interests are met.

You may attend school functions and extracurricular activities at the same time and even celebrate your children’s birthdays in the same room at the same time. If both you and your ex are willing to have a healthy co-parenting arrangement, there are certain issues that should be addressed. Speaking to a knowledgeable Geneva, IL family law attorney from Serrano Hanson can help you create a parenting plan that comprehensively addresses your co-parenting goals.

What Should a Parenting Plan for Co-Parents Include?

While every parenting plan will be unique to the individuals involved, certain issues can be included to make life run smoothly for the children and the co-parents. These include:

• A basic schedule that indicates which parent the children are with on any given day and details how pickups and drop-offs will be accomplished. This is the "backbone" of any parenting plan.
• Details regarding whether the co-parenting agreement is for a 50/50 split or whether there will be a primary residential parent and a parent with parenting time. Even when the split is close to 50/50, it can be helpful to designate a "home base," largely to promote stability for the children.
• Parenting rules that are consistent from one parent’s home to the other’s home. When rules are consistent across the board, it is easier on all involved and prevents one parent from being known as the "strict" parent.
• Rules regarding phones, privacy, social media, and driving if the children are nearing that age. Both parents need to agree on what age the children will have phones, how social media will be handled, and what rules will be in place once teens get their driver’s licenses.  
•  Details regarding how birthdays, holidays, and vacations will be spent. Co-parents who get along well may try to spend birthdays and holidays together but often take the children on separate vacations.
• Information regarding when the children will see grandparents and other family members. If the children were close to their grandparents or other family members, those people may attend celebrations and school functions with the co-parents and children or may have their own time with the children written into the schedule.
• Details pertaining to school and school activities, including how the children get to and from school, which parent takes the children to practices or other extracurricular activities, and whether both parents attend meetings with teachers.  
•  How parents will communicate with one another and the children. The parents must be clear on when phone calls are necessary and when emails or texts will work just as well.
•  Clear details on when a parent can make an independent decision and when joint decision-making is necessary. Co-parents should discuss healthcare, education, discipline, religious preferences, and extracurricular activities and decide when independent decisions are allowed and what issues require joint decisions.

Contact a Kane County, IL Family Lawyer

Putting together a comprehensive parenting plan can be challenging, even when you and your ex are on relatively good terms. An experienced Geneva, IL allocation of parental responsibilities attorney from Serrano Hanson can help ensure that no critical items are omitted. We provide a unique client experience and top-notch legal guidance to each client. Call 630-844-8781 to schedule an initial meeting with one of our highly skilled family law attorneys. We are fluent in Spanish and English.