Divorced Rhode Island parents know how hard it can be to co-parent. That’s why it’s important to think about how you want to co-parent and raise your children after you’re divorced.
Parents who have a co-parenting plan developed early often times can see more success than parents who don’t. A co-parenting plan can answer questions when they come up, such as what parent gets the kids for the holidays and even how much television time a child gets.
How detailed are co-parenting plans?
Co-parenting plans are usually as detailed as the parents and child want them to be. Some co-parenting plans never go beyond who gets custody and visitation rights.
Other co-parenting plans address almost every aspect of how a child will be raised, down to their religion and how their schooling will be treated. These detailed parenting plans leave very little room for miscommunication between the parents and can align parenting styles.
Avoiding miscommunication is important to reduce negative interactions that put the child in the middle of disagreements. However, an overly strict co-parenting plan might cause friction if it’s not followed to the letter, so it’s important to find an easy middle ground.
What makes a good co-parenting plan?
Generally, a good co-parenting plan will address basic questions, such as when the child gets to spend time with both of the parents as well as how the child should be reprimanded in the event of bad behavior.
It’s important that a co-parenting plan aligns the parents rather than separates them. If parents are not both in agreement with the co-parenting plan as it’s set up, this can cause fights and unintentionally make the child the middle man. Make sure to thoroughly discuss the co-parenting plan with the other parent involved.
