This post is geared towards separated parents who have been following a parenting plan for a while.
Most Parenting Plans result from a collaborative law, mediation, or negotiation process soon after separation. During that period of emotional and financial uncertainty, you negotiated your parenting plan with the best of intentions and the best information you had at the time.
However, having lived with those decisions for some time, you have likely noticed unanticipated ways that the plan does not work, or new circumstances that were not contemplated when you created your original parenting plan have come up. If this is you, it may be time for a parenting plan refresh.
Your parenting plan can better reflect your family’s current circumstances and your children’s stages of development. Some of the topics that may need updating include:
The regular or holiday parenting schedules,
Travel planning with or without children,
Selecting and paying for children’s recreational or summer expenses,
Child support and sharing of special expenses,
Creating common household expectations,
Integrating new partners into the family dynamic,
Parent communication routines.
Mediation is a great way to revise your parenting plan because it is future-focused, transparent, and timely, and seeks to resolve problems without exacerbating them. Mediation offers a chance to hit the “reset” button and improve communication so you can smoothly carry on. If your children are old enough, their preferences and experiences of the separation can be neutrally gathered and shared with both parents so that your new decisions take their perspectives into account.
Don't avoid adjusting your parenting plan because you dread the conversation. Reach out for the professional support of an effective parenting mediator and make certain that your parenting plan is working well for you and your children. Summer vacations are a (happy) memory, your kids are settled into school routines, and with no significant holidays on the immediate horizon now is the time to have the conversations you have been putting off.
Caroline is offering a parenting plan refresh for a flat fee. The shared $1500 fees (plus HST) include individual intake meetings, one joint session, and a mediation report. If you require further mediation sessions, they can be included and billed at an hourly rate. An extended health insurance plan may cover some of Caroline’s fees. Please review your existing parenting plan to determine under what circumstances changes can be made.
Let’s have that conversation so you can carry on with ease.