After you get a divorce, you want things to go as smoothly as possible for your children. It can be really tough to talk to your kids about divorce and help them understand that the separation is not their fault, but that is part of your responsibility as a parent. If you had children during your marriage, you will need to agree on a co-parenting plan that allows both parents to still be an important part of their child’s lives. This can go a lot better if you are working in a collaborative manner with an expert divorce attorney. If you are wondering what types of things you should include in your co-parenting plan, keep reading below. Remember that you can always reach out to The Johnson Law Firm and Associates if you have any questions about co-parenting plans or divorce.

1. Schedules

One of the first things you should try to figure out in your co-parenting plan is the schedule. The chances are that one parent will retain custody of the kids for the majority of the time. That means you should work on creating a schedule that allows your kids to spend time with both of their parents. Don’t forget to include weekends in the schedules and try to consider the summer, winter, and spring break timeframes. It’s important to make sure that your kids have an opportunity to spend time with their parents throughout their youth.

2. Guidelines for Meeting New Dating Partners

Another thing that you should include in your co-parenting plan is what will happen when the time comes to introduce your children to a new dating partner. It is very important to make sure you and your ex-spouse are on the same page with this part of the co-parenting plan. Try to think about what you will tell your kids about the new dating partner and help them understand a little bit more about relationships. The last thing you want to do is anger your co-parent simply because you forgot to discuss the guidelines for introducing your kids to new dating partners.

3. Internet Use and Cell Phone Use

These days, kids are becoming exposed to technology at a very young age. It’s important to discuss internet use and cell phone use so that you can create a solid framework for your co-parenting plan. If one parent doesn’t seem to mind letting their kids use technology while the other wants a stricter approach, try to come to halfway point with compromise.

4. How to Discipline

Coming up with a co-parenting plan means spending some time figuring out the best course of action for a variety of different issues even though both parents aren’t living together. That means figuring out the right way to discipline your kids when necessary. Make sure you and your co-parent have discussed this in-depth before finishing up your co-parenting plan.

We hope this article has helped you gain some valuable insight into co-parenting plans and what they should consist of.