Parenting Plan Ideas to Get You Started:
 

• How will you make decisions about your children?

• When will you spend time with your children?

• How will you share information and communicate with your co-parent?
   

A parenting plan reflects your children's interests and needs and considers the age of your children: the plan changes as your children grow. The best parenting plan has enough detail to provide clear parenting expectations and flexibility to be realistic. Every family is different, and your family's parenting plan will provide a guide that works best for your family. 

 

Getting Advice
 

You and your co-parent can develop a parenting plan together if you can communicate with each other constructively. If you need help agreeing on matters related to your children, it will benefit your family to seek the help of a professional, such as a mediator, lawyer, counsellor, therapist or social worker. Please visit our professionals' page to find someone to work with you. 
 

Helping your Children Deal with Separation or Divorce
 

Children often become stressed or anxious when their parents are not getting along. Children adjust better to separation or divorce when their parents can shelter them from adult conflict. A parenting plan can help reduce conflict by clearly setting out expectations and identifying parenting roles and responsibilities for each parent. 

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Children usually want to have a say in decisions that affect them. It's essential to be aware of your children's views and preferences and provide them with an opportunity to participate in discussions about parenting arrangements. However, you should not draw your children into your disputes or ask them to "choose sides." 
 

It's not easy to know how much to involve your children in the parenting plan process: a professional can assist in determining your children's views if:
 

• there is a conflict between you and your co-parent

• there is a conflict with your children

• your children are unable to express their opinions and preferences (for example, due to age or disability)

• there is a pattern of child resistance to parental contact

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