It’s easy to believe that your child custody case will end up in court, but this doesn’t have to hold true.
Did you know that you can use a parenting agreement to work out all your differences? As long as both parents are willing to work together, this is something that can make the child custody process much less stressful.
Although there are many benefits of creating a parenting agreement, such as the ability to avoid the time and costs of litigation, it doesn’t mean you can breeze through the process without first understanding what you should and should not be doing.
Here are some of the many things that a parenting agreement should include:
- Where the child will live (also known as physical custody)
- The parent who will have legal custody
- The visitation schedule for the non-custodial parent
- Where the child will spend important holidays, vacations, birthdays and other major events
- Any contact the child will have with other family members
These are among the most important details of a parenting agreement, but there is something else to think about: language regarding how to resolve future disputes.
You hope that your parenting agreement will keep everyone in order, but there are likely to be times when you don’t agree with the other parent. When your agreement has language about how to resolve disputes, you will know which steps to take should this type of situation arise.
While these are common points that should be part of a parenting agreement, there are others that you may want to include. It is up to you to work out these details with the other parent, ensuring that you are both on the same page and comfortable with what the agreement states.
By customizing a parenting agreement, you will find it much easier to put the divorce process in the past and move forward with your life. This will allow you to better understand your rights and what is expected of you. Furthermore, and most important, it puts you in position to remain a big part of your child’s life in the future.
