North Carolina parents who are facing the end of their marriage may be suffering a great deal of emotional turmoil, but one way to reduce that is by putting together a solid parenting plan. This can help reduce the stress on their children and can give parents a sense of what their new lives with their children will be like.
A parenting plan also sends a message to children and others that they will be put first and that their parents are concerned about their well-being. It allows parents an opportunity to discuss potential problems that may arise and how they might be solved. This could include events that may happen some time in the future such as one child no longer wanting to adhere to the visitation plan or a new job for one of the parents that requires relocation. A parenting plan can also defuse arguments because it is a written account of what was agreed upon.
Most parenting plans have sections that discuss legal custody and physical custody. The first is a determination of who has the right to make decisions about a child’s education and other important matters and is usually held jointly. The second deals with who the children will live with and the visitation rights that will be given to the other parent.
Parents can work with their respective attorneys to develop a parenting plan that each is happy with. This might be done through mediation or negotiation. However, in some cases, parents cannot resolve their differences, and a parent might need to turn to litigation over parental rights. In court, a judge will make a decision based on the child’s best interests, and even if there has been a great deal of conflict between parents up to this point, having strict rules about visitation and custody might help reduce some of the turmoil.