When you go through a divorce in Texas, one requirement you and your ex-spouse will need to work on is a comprehensive parenting plan for your minor children. This legal agreement helps facilitate a stable routine for your children, ensuring a fair balance of co-parenting duties between you and your ex-spouse post-separation.
How do I create a parenting plan?
To help protect the children’s needs and best interests, the parenting plan must provide a clear structure of their daily routines and each parent’s time with their children. By fostering stability, the children can adjust and become familiar with their new life with minimal confusion and stress.
The parenting plan should include:
- Home base (which house the children will live with most of the time)
- Exchange times
- Communication rules
- School events
- Transportation (school drop-offs and pickups)
- Medical and health check-ups
- Summer vacations
- Holidays and family trips
- Each child’s birthday
- Each parent’s birthday
- Other major events
The courts look for parenting plans that can best show a healthy bond between both parents and their children. To help ensure this, the plan must be as detailed as possible, with a space that also allows for some flexibility. The plan should also describe how the parents will manage disagreements without court.
Can I change an existing parenting plan?
When there is a major change in either the parent or the child’s life, the parents can submit a parenting plan modification to the court. Some common reasons for modifications include:
- One parent moves to a different state
- One parent has a change in their work schedule
- One child has a change in their school schedule
- One parent does not follow the plan
Whether you are creating a new plan or modifying an existing one, being honest, thorough and collaborative can help you minimize conflict and build a solid foundation for your children.