Parents who go through a divorce and discuss parental rights may create a joint custody plan. A joint custody plan means each parent has some right to say how their children should be raised. This often means parents work together to split up responsibilities, such as attending doctor appointments or school meetings, clothing and feeding their children and planning time for vacations.
A divorce may not have been as seamless and conflict-free as parents hope. Co-parents may have difficulties working together to uphold their obligations and responsibilities. Parents who can’t get along may try a parallel parenting plan. Here’s what you should know:
What is parallel parenting?
There is, typically, a lot of communication between co-parents in a joint custody plan. The rules children must follow at each of their parent’s homes may be similar. Co-parents may work to solve issues and attend doctor appointments and school meetings together.
If parents can’t get along after a divorce, it can hurt their children’s well-being. A parallel parenting plan works to separate matters that might cause issues between co-parents. Each parent can go about their day without as little involvement from the other parent as possible. Parents may communicate with each other through email or text, which may reduce arguments and fights.
Should you file for sole custody?
The issues that arise after creating a joint or parallel parenting plan may not be related to how parents work together. An issue with a parent may be a personal matter that affects their children’s well-being. In other words, a parent may not be fit to raise their children without supervision. If this is the case, a parent may need to consider taking on a majority of the responsibilities with a sole custody plan.
A parent who is considering their parenting plan options may benefit from learning about their legal rights.