Many divorced parents in Indiana are concerned about maintaining relationships with their kids. However, divorce doesn’t have to destroy the bonds between children and their parents. Parenting plans offer a way for exes to work together and ensure that each household has time with the kids.
Divorce usually is the result of conflict between spouses, so the work of developing a parenting plan can be challenging. When both parents are willing to consider what is in the children’s best interests, however, they may find that they are able to put aside differences and work together.
Experts note that a child’s age at the time of divorce should be a primary consideration when developing plans for custody and visitation. Babies and toddlers, for example, benefit from consistency, which means that they should remain with a primary caregiver most of the time while enjoying frequent visits of 2-3 hours with the non-custodial parent.
As children get older, however, overnight visits should be introduced. Teenagers are another matter as their social, school and work schedules can become complicated. Often, separated parents have to be flexible to take into consideration the needs of both the child and the other household.
Those who are unhappy with their current parenting plans may benefit from speaking with an experienced family law attorney. The lawyer might be able to review a client’s case and make recommendations regarding visitation, custody and child support issues. If necessary, the attorney could negotiate a child custody modification order that changes a parenting plan to better meet the needs of everyone involved.
