As part of your divorce procedure, you will have to present a parenting plan. Florida law requires you to plan how the children will spend time with each of you as well as how the finances are going to work for things such as child support. The plan also needs to include details such as which parent’s health care will cover the children.
The more detail you work out, the better. Consider how you are going to hand over the kids. Will they be picked up by the receiving parent or dropped off by the other parent. How are you and the other parent going to communicate over matters relating to the children?
If your parenting plan does not work, you can adjust it later, ideally by talking to your ex-spouse, or if the two of you are not able to agree, by returning to court.
Your parenting plan may be more important to your children than you realize. When their world has been thrown into uncertainty because their parents have split up, a little order can go a long way. Knowing that mom takes them to football on Wednesdays and dad picks them up from ballet on Mondays can be important. Naturally, there will be times when you have to make changes to the plan, due to work or other commitments, so remember to explain these changes clearly to your child.
When drawing up your parenting plan, it needs to be in the best interests of your children, so consider their opinion. They may have preferences you never thought about. They may not want to be the only kid whose dad comes to ballet classes.
