Creating peace for your family with a strong parenting plan

As a Tennessee parent going through divorce, one of your primary goals is to provide your children with stability and security for the future. This is not always an easy thing to do, and one of the ways you can accomplish this goal is by creating a strong parenting plan. This is a plan by which you will share custody and raise your children, and both parents can work together to make this a peaceful process.

The terms of your parenting plan matter, and you can custom tailor yours to ensure that what you end up with will work for your family for years to come. This takes thoughtful consideration and a willingness to work together, even when it's challenging. If you are facing the prospect of dealing with child custody matters, you may consider how a good, thoughtful parenting plan can benefit your family.

What should be in your plan? 

It's not always easy to make plans that will affect your family for years to come. This can be especially difficult when you are also facing your own personal struggles because of a divorce. You may find it challenging to work through the details of a parenting plan and determine exactly what type of terms will benefit your family. Some of the things you may want to include in your plan are:

• A schedule for how you and the other parent will share parenting time
• How drop-off and pick-up procedures will work
• What you and the other parent will do if you find yourself in a conflict
• How you and the other parent will make decisions about things such as education, medical care and religious upbringing
• What will happen when there are deviations from the regular schedule
• Whether your child will be able to have contact with extended family members
• How parents will share summer breaks, holidays and other special events 

If you need to create a parenting plan, you will find it especially helpful to keep the best interests of your children as the primary goal. When you consider this above your own feelings and expectations, it can allow you to negotiate and work toward terms that will actually benefit every member of the family.

You do not have to do this on your own. You may want to discuss your parenting rights and your custody concerns with an experienced family law attorney who can help you work toward a parenting plan that will is smart, practical and sustainable.