What is the difference between a custody agreement and a parenting plan?
A custody agreement is usually two or three pages and addresses legal and physical custody, the child's primary residence, and a brief co-parenting schedule.
A parenting plan goes into much more detail and addresses healthcare, education (schools, classes, tutors, special education), childcare/daycare, religious worship/training, detailed co-parenting schedules (daily, weekly, monthly, vacations, holidays, holy days), living situations (move-away, commuting, residents), sports (school/league/neighborhood), travel (permissions, locations, timing), financial (child support, tax exemption, add-ons), lifestyle (drug/alcohol/dating/sex) and much more.
Custody Advice emails, join our mailing and list and we will periodically send you custody tips and advice for your situation!
We understand this is an emotional time for divorcing and separating parents, and we always put KidsFirst!
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Parenting together is the unspoken agreement we make with our partner or spouse when we both decide to have children and become parents. Having been children ourselves, we know that parents who cooperate and share responsibility are acting in the best interests of the child. We also know that when parents refuse to cooperate and fail to agree on how to raise a child, it is the child who ultimately suffers.
In our ongoing effort to enhance KidsFirst! for you we have created a simple survey! We would appreciate your feedback and comments regarding what you need during this transitional time.
Please take just a minute to fill out our survey!
Thank you for making KidsFirst! even better.
When going through a divorce or seperation it is sometimes easy to overlook the small things that protect our children. In your parenting plan you need to address ALL issues regarding the child or children- not just the big issues, such as protective gear when playing sports. And which sports they are allowed to play.
“KidsFirst! is perfect for single parents who truly want to minimize the impact created by separation or divorce, impact that often falls upon the children. It’s simple, straightforward, and leaves no room for misinterpretation -- it really works. My children are older now but I wish I had this kind of help all along as dealing with the family law court can be tough. I recommend KidsFirst! to any parent who wants to protect their children.”
Lynn Killips
“As a single, first-time parent, KidsFirst! really helped me think through all the issues of child custody and shared parenting with my son's father. Working through the questionaire clarified my own values and attitudes about raising my child to be happy, healthy and well-adjusted and serves as good discussion points with his father. I’m hopeful that with the KidsFirst! Parenting Plan that we can always come to agreement about what is best for our son.” Mary Miller
In the present, are you and the other parent able to agree and are you two able to resolve children issues without arguing?Truth is often a question of perspective, usually existing somewhere between one side and the other. If both parents are open and smart enough to view the world from the perspective of the other parent, you will be able to reach common agreement leading to real collaboration.Remember that you can best be a peacemaker when you are truly at peace with yourself and that your children will model your behavior, good or bad.
A parent may want peace at ...
Do you both agree to have the same custody agreements for all your children? If both parents agree on joint custody, the next question should be: "How does this arrangement benefit our child?" If he is very young, making an agreement to move him from one parent's home to the other several times each week is too disruptive.
If your child moves from one house to the other without a enough time to adjust and find a consistant rythmn, he may begin to feel unsafe and emotionally unstable. It is important to establish consistent routines in each home because children need ...
Welcome to our KidsFirst! blog, where we provide separating and divorcing parents with valuable, practical parenting advice and legal information to help protect children during this critical time.
We would appreciate any suggestions and comments that will improve both KidsFirst! parenting plan software and the KidsFirst! blog.
Henry Koltys
