When divorcing parents consider a custody arrangement there are many things running through their heads. They want to protect their children and their emotional health. They also want to secure their parental rights and obtain fair parenting time. On top of that, creating a parenting schedule can be a complicated task.
These are all very pressing – and incredibly important – matters when determining custody. Even so, there are many technical details parents have to address as well.
What are some of these details?
Parenting is a role that takes on many responsibilities. It is common to focus on these major responsibilities and the actual act of parenting when determining a parenting plan and schedule.
Yet, there are many other details related to being a parent that should be addressed as well. Some of these include:
- Insurance: Parents must provide health and dental insurance for their children. It is critical to determine which parent’s insurance will cover them after the divorce. There are other questions to consider, including what type of plan will work best, and how parents will divide the healthcare costs not covered by insurance.
- Taxes: They may only come around once a year in April. However, parents must consider who will claim the children as dependents. This can become a complicated matter when parents have joint custody and nearly 50-50 parenting time.
- Education: Does your child attend private school or are they getting ready for college? Regardless, parents must consider tuition and the finances of their child’s education. This often includes your child’s participation in extra-curricular activities.
- Daily decisions: It is common to address the big decisions in a parenting plan. After all, joint legal custody in North Carolina means parents must discuss and agree on major decisions in the child’s life. However, what about the daily little decisions? These can include anything from bedtimes to activities, and what the children eat. Parents should also consider their autonomy and authority in these daily decisions. It is not necessary to consider every possible scenario, but parents should look at the big picture of their daily parenting responsibilities and decisions.
The ins and outs of parenting are not always easy to define. Even so, parents must address these issues while creating an effective custody agreement.