As a parent, it is essential to have a plan in place for how you will co-parent your child with their other parent. This mandatory plan, called a parenting plan, will help ensure that you and your child's other parent are on the same page regarding how you will raise your child. But how often should you review your parenting plan? Here are a few things to consider.
Changes in Your Child's Needs
As children grow and develop, their needs also change. What worked for them when they were younger may not work anymore as they get older. For this reason, it is important to regularly review your parenting plan to make sure that it still meets your child's needs. If you have noticed that your child is having difficulty with the current arrangement, it may be time to make some changes.
Life Changes
Another factor to consider when deciding how often to review your parenting plan is whether or not there have been any major life changes. If either you or the other parent has experienced a significant life change, such as getting married or divorced, changing jobs, or moving to a new city, it may be necessary to review and update your parenting plan. Major life changes can impact the amount of time each parent has available for custody and visitation, so it is important to make sure that the parenting plan still works for everyone involved.
Establishing a Review Schedule
Ideally, parents should review their parenting plans each year to refresh their knowledge. However, some parents prefer to review their plans more frequently, while others wait longer between reviews. There is no right or wrong answer; ultimately, it is up to each individual parent to decide how often they want or need to review their child's parenting plan.
Protection Without Destruction
Parenting plans are an essential part of child custody for parents. At Harris, Hunt & Derr, P.A., our team is here to answer any questions you might have regarding your parenting plan and its included time-sharing schedule. If you have any questions regarding your child's parenting plan or would like to conduct a parenting plan review with an attorney by your side, call our firm at (813) 223-5421 to schedule a consultation with a member of our team.