As the school year gets underway, you may have new concerns for yourself and your children because of your recent divorce. Now, you will need to create a schedule that not only accommodates your kids’ activities but that also stays in line with the child custody agreement you have with the other parent.
Creating a parenting schedule is not always easy, and each family has different details to consider. Though having a plan in place before school starts may seem ideal, you may want to maintain some flexibility because you may not know what your children’s after school activities will include until after the school year begins.
What should you consider for your plan?
When creating a parenting schedule, you will need to consider various perspectives. Your own needs and obligations as well as those of your kids and the other parent will all come into play. Some specific details to consider include the following:
- Your kids’ activity schedules: As mentioned, your kids’ after school activities and school schedules themselves will have a major part in determining when and how custody exchanges and parenting time is divided.
- Your children’s perspectives: Though you are already trying to accommodate their activity schedules, it is also important to consider their feelings overall. A schedule that suits you and the other parent may have the kids feeling overwhelmed due to traveling back and forth between houses.
- Equitable parenting time: If your custody arrangement involves joint custody, you may want to work toward creating a schedule that allows for as equitable amount of parenting time as possible. Using the schedule so that you get more time with the kids than your ex could violate the agreement and cause other issues.
- Current conditions: Creating a parenting plan can have its challenges, and you may hope that creating the plan once will be enough. However, it is likely more realistic to create a plan that meets the current conditions the family is working with rather than trying to accommodate some future conditions that may or may not arise.
Parenting, divorce, custody, school and numerous other aspects of your life can make many situations challenging. Hopefully, having the right parenting schedule can help lessen some of the stress that you, your kids and your ex feel as you all move forward. If you need help with your parenting plan or believe that issues with your custody arrangement exist, you may want to speak with an Illinois family law attorney for information.
