Getting a divorce can be difficult for anyone, but these situations can become much more complex for couples who have children. In addition to separating their lives from each other, parents will need to make decisions about how they will share in the responsibilities of raising their kids, and they will also need to create schedules detailing when children will live in each parent’s home or spend time with them. Coming to an agreement on these issues is not easy, especially when a couple’s relationship has broken down to the point where they have chosen to end their marriage. However, whether a divorce is amicable or contested, it is often best for parents to do everything they can to work together and determine how they can put their children first. This will allow them to create a parenting plan that will provide them with a full understanding of how child-related matters will be handled going forward.
What Is Included in a Parenting Plan?
Illinois law states that the divorce decree of a married couple who share children will need to include a document known as a parenting plan. This agreement will fully detail how the parents will share in the allocation of parental responsibilities, including each parent’s authority to make decisions about children’s education, healthcare, religion, and extracurricular activities. The parenting plan will also include a parenting time schedule that determines when children will stay in each parent’s home or spend time with a parent. In addition to an ongoing, daily schedule, the parenting plan will also specify how parents will divide holidays and vacations, and it will also detail transportation arrangements for children and rules about when and how a parent can communicate with children during the other parent’s parenting time.
A parenting plan may also include:
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