When writing your parenting plan, you may plan for what is only necessary in the moment. But as your child grows, their needs will also change, which may call for modifications of your parenting plan. To help plan for your child’s future and limit the number of emergency modifications needed, writing a future-proof parenting plan can help your family have explicit terms of parenting.
Think About What Your Child May Need as They Grow
What works for your child at age two will most likely not be the same thing at age 12. When building your parenting plan, think about what your children may need as they age. Will they enroll in extracurricular activities? Will they own a cell phone? What will their interests look like? While you may not know the exact answers, planning for the future and for these opportunities is essential to the welfare of your child.
When considering what your children may need as they grow up, think about opportunities for enrichment and the development of hobbies. Will you send your child to camp for breaks to spend time outdoors? Will they join the Boy or Girl Scouts or some other volunteer group? Creating opportunities for your child to be engaged in these activities may provide some of the support they will need as they grow up.
Consider Future Technology Purchases
You may not know what cellphone you will purchase for your child when you decide to grant them that privilege, but you might start thinking about how you will handle technology with your child.
When considering technology purchases and usage, discuss policies for your child and expectations for which parent will pay for the phone. You may also want to outline your child’s first personal computer or tablet and their allowed usage.
Think About Educational Opportunities
When building your parenting plan, think about the educational opportunities in both parents’ school zones. Is one parent zoned for better schools? Will you send your child to private schools? While your child may not be enrolled in school yet, thinking about where you will send your child to school can benefit both parties as this will already be taken into consideration for when your child does come of schooling age.
Plan for Handling Disputes Between Parents
As divorced parents, you will most likely come across something that you don’t agree with that your former spouse does when parenting your child. This is normal and should be expected. When writing your parenting plan, you should expect that you will need to resolve disputes between parents about the welfare or needs of your child.
Develop a method for handling disputes on parenting. By creating this process, you can peacefully discuss your differences without getting the courts involved.
Don’t Worry About Getting Everything Right
When building your parenting plan, you won’t be able to predict the future and get everything right. But by writing out guidelines with your child’s other parent, you can set standards and guides for the future and for future modifications. If you believe your child will be involved with travel athletics and then turn out to be a member of the school band, you can always list those activities as “extracurriculars” in your parenting plan and write guides for future extracurricular activities.
Semi-vague wording, which could mean substituting specific activities or events with general terms, can also help you set standards for your child’s future needs to hold them over until their next custody modification. This form of phrasing can then be modified to accurately reflect your child’s circumstances with the help of a child custody modifications attorney.
Warren, NJ Child Custody Modification Attorneys
No one can see the future. But with the help of our modifications attorneys, you can restructure your parenting plan to be future-proof, limiting what emergency modifications you may need. If you do need a modification, our team at DeTommaso Law Group, LLC is here to help guide you through the modification request process.
Need a modification of your child custody order? Our child custody modifications attorneys are available to help you through the process of a modification. Call us today at (908) 274-3028 or contact us online to schedule a consultation.