‘Tis the season to be thankful. What are you thankful for this year? Hopefully for your health, your family, your friends, your career, and so many other things. But are you thankful for your custody agreement?
We have many post-judgment clients who are incredibly thankful for their negotiated custody/parenting plans. However, as time passes, sometimes those plans need to be adjusted. Usually, if they reached the underlying agreement amicably, the same will be true for post-judgment negotiations. We also have post-judgment clients who were self-represented parties during their custody matter or divorce and are not so thankful for their custody or parenting plan because it is lacking in certain areas and that causes problems for them.
There are many components to a parenting plan or custody plan. For some families, less is more and the “bare bones” approach works just fine because they have a great co-parenting relationship and prefer for things to be flexible. For other families, the opposite is true, and every detail needs to be included so that both parents know exactly what to expect and when. Most families fall somewhere in the middle of those two categories and need to address some particulars, but not necessarily fine-tune every detail. Unfortunately, when self-represented parties reach these agreements on their own, it is often what causes confusion because some items are addressed, and others are not.
While every parenting plan outlines each parents’ parenting time, not all plans have specific times, drop-off/pick-up parameters, holidays, or clauses regarding extracurricular activities. If you find yourself in this situation, you should consider seeking the advice of an attorney. You may be able to either re-open and modify your judgement, or simply address it through mediation. After you have been utilizing your parenting plan for a bit, you will see what works (and does not work) for your family. If you do need to adjust it, make sure to consult with a lawyer so that all of your concerns may be addressed, and you (hopefully) will not have to modify multiple times. Ever Argue with a Woman? If you need assistance in modifying your current parenting plan, contact Wolf & Shore Law Group at 203.745.3151 or info@wolfandshorelaw.com. We’re here to make your parenting disputes easier, not harder.