Raising a child can be difficult under any circumstances, but if you are a resident of Minnesota who is also trying to raise that child alongside someone with whom you no longer share a romantic relationship, it can wind up being even more of a struggle. Often, parents who are no longer romantically involved with one another, but are both committed to child-rearing, find that they can make the co-parenting process easier by creating and agreeing to a parenting plan.
According to Psychology Today, the term “co-parenting plan” refers to a written document that stipulates the terms both parents agree to adhere to when raising the child or children they share. While a parenting plan may require updating periodically as a child grows older to reflect his or her changing needs, the main point of the plan is to set guidelines that are in the best interests of the child that both parents agree to follow.
You can use your co-parenting plan to cover any number of elements and areas, from finances to time-sharing arrangements and everything in between. For example, your parenting plan will typically include a summary of your custody or visitation arrangement, and it may take things a step further, outlining whatever agreements you and your ex made about who will have the child on holidays, summer and school vacations and so on.
Your co-parenting plan can also make stipulations about which parent is financially responsible for, say, school tuition, extracurricular activities and the like, and many people also use these plans to spell out how and when the parents should communicate with one another. Ultimately, anything that has to do with raising your child together is fair game when it comes to what you can include in your co-parenting plan.
This information is meant for educational purposes and is not meant to serve as legal advice.
