Good communication is vital after two parents with shared custody go through a divorce. For this reason, parents should specify certain agreements about communication in their parenting plans. Here are some important issues to address in this regard:
Agree to communicate about school: You and your ex will need to decide issues relating to what school your child goes to, when school begins and when school ends each day. You’ll also want to discuss other matters, such as the dress code at the school, your child’s health concerns and your child’s well-being.
Establish how communication will occur: Most parents should agree in advance about how they will communicate. Is it permissible to communicate by work phone, home phone, cellphone, in person, text messages, Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, email and handwritten notes? Will only certain of these communications be allowed? Establish these guidelines in the parenting plan.
Agree to maintain a childcare logbook: Maintaining a logbook is an excellent way for the parents to stay on the same page (literally). Inside the logbook, parents can include businesslike notations related to school, health, other welfare concerns, scheduling issues and various activities done with the child. This is not the place to put personal comments or opinions. The parents can then pass the book along with the child from home to home.
There are many other things that parents may want to include as provisions in their parenting plans. By learning more about state family law and common parenting plan strategies, parents will have a better chance of protecting their children while maintaining a good relationship with their exes.