What you should NOT compromise on in your parenting plan

Regardless of how the court rules on child custody as part of your divorce, you will inevitably have to create a functional parenting plan alongside your ex-spouse to ensure that both sides get a fair amount of time with the kids.

A balanced and sustainable parenting plan is one built on compromise. However, there are certain matters that you should not compromise on for the sake of maintaining a dynamic that is healthy for yourself and your family as a whole.

Your own schedule

You and your co-parent each have your own busy lives to lead following your divorce, so it stands to reason that you will have to make compromises to accommodate your parenting obligations. If you are the only one making sacrifices in your schedule, though, that is unfair and unhealthy for you.

Your parental rights

There is a common misconception that the parent who receives primary custodianship of the children in a divorce has more parental rights than the other. Even if you are not your children’s main guardian, you do not have to accept an arrangement in which you have fewer parental rights than your ex-spouse.

Your children’s happiness

When you are spending all your focus on finding a middle ground between yourself and your co-parent, the best interests of your children can become lost in the mix. Your kids should be the main focus of your parenting plan, so be sure that whatever arrangement you arrive at is a happy one for them.

Before you sign off on your parenting plan and submit it to the Pittsburgh family courts, make sure that it is truly a schedule you can live with happily. If you know that you are making unfair compromises, consider negotiating further with your co-parent or turning to mediation to reach a settlement.

Archives

FindLaw Network