12 Mar Parenting plans are an integral element within divorce
Why parenting plans are important for your child
In 2008, former Rutherford County Circuit Court Judge Don Ash partnered with Vanderbilt Psychologist William Bernet for “Children of Divorce: A Practical Guide for Parents, Therapists, Attorneys and Judges.”
“It contains specific advice on how to achieve basic goals, like children having a good relationship with both parents, helping children adjust to divorce and helping family members accept the eventual losses of divorce,” Ash explained in an interview with The Murfreesboro Post after the book was published.
The book rose out of Ash’s work on a University of Memphis Law Review article about the need for parenting plans in Tennessee divorces. That article led to Ash’s involvement in the 2001 state law mandating parenting plans.
Ash found that parenting plans can play an important part of any divorce with children by setting, in writing, exactly how the child will be raised. Specifically, it governs how “the mother and father will behave with each other and each child so as to provide a loving, stable, consistent and nurturing relationship with the child even though they are divorced. They will not speak badly of each other or the members of the family of the other parent. They will encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families.”
This isn’t just about child support. It’s about doing what’s best for the child.
Parenting plans work best when parents cooperate in the best interest of their child, instead of focusing on winners and losers in the custody battle. The child loses every time when parents focus on punishing each other.
Divorcing parents are required to lay out a roadmap in how their children will be raised in a parenting plan, deciding on major decisions like education, religion, medical care, and general healthcare.
It also covers plans for time spent with each parent, the child’s daily schedule, which holidays are spent where, where the child will spend school breaks, and even who gets to claim the child as a dependent for taxes.
Just remember the plans help divorcing parents create a situation that allows both parents to contribute significantly to raising the child.
If you are required to develop a permanent parenting plan, you can review the forms from TNCourts.gov. If you’re trying to understand the laws regarding divorce and child custody in Tennessee and need legal counsel, contact the Law Office of Michael Craig for any questions or to discuss first steps.