Completing your Michigan divorce is a hard-earned milestone, but the journey isn’t over once the decree is finalized. Your parenting time plan is a living, breathing part of your divorce settlement, and it can and will change over time – right along with your kids – if you and your former spouse want to smoothly raise your children together.
Be Open to Parenting Time Changes
You worked hard to develop a manageable, reasonable parenting time plan with your ex and divorce lawyer, but it’s impossible to foresee every potential issue that will arise where kids are concerned. Built-in adjustments exist in many parenting plans, like when a child can have a cell phone, begin to date, or drive a car, but what happens if a child develops a health condition or joins a group that eats into parenting time?
- Be open to discussing your parenting plan and child custody with your former spouse.
- Temporary or permanent modifications may be needed, and your divorce attorney can advise whether you need to take the matter to court.
- It’s in your best interests to work together with your ex and communicate effectively for the sake of your kids and their personal growth.
Best Practices for Assessing a Parenting Time Plan
Many divorce settlements state how frequently parents should review the information the parenting time plan contains. Kids grow and change quickly and so do their needs and preferences. Taking time to assess the plan with your ex every year can help you avoid coming up against a wall or encountering difficulties with your children.
- Discuss the critical topics that were part of your initial parenting time planning, like your child’s health and education.
- Share whether you think the preexisting schedule and plan is working, where tweaks might be necessary, or if you want to request major alterations to days and weekends together.
- Talk about your child’s development, education, mood, behavior, friends, changes, challenges, or lack thereof.
- Share any comments your kids have voiced about what they like or dislike about the parenting time plan and consider changes if they make sense.
- Share major life changes with your ex that can affect your kids, like marriage, a partner joining the household, moving, trips, etc.
Get Legal Parenting Time Support
If you and your ex cannot amicably review your parenting time plan with each other on your own via a phone call or emails and sign off on any changes, consult with your divorce lawyer about how to proceed and whether a court needs to be involved. In these instances, mediation may be helpful to get you through an annual meeting and keep the kids front of mind.
Your child’s best interests are always the priority in a divorce. Parenting from two different households isn’t easy, but it is possible to simplify the process when you genuinely try to work together. Get parenting time and divorce support from an established family law attorney. Contact Michigan Divorce Help in Mt. Clemens to schedule a consultation.
This blog post does not substitute for legal advice.