0 commentsChange is a normal part of life and divorce. However, you may not always know how to deal with some changes that you face in your life. When you first got divorced you created a parenting plan that was intended to guide how you would share parenting responsibilities. However, these guidelines were based on the circumstances in your life at the time of your divorce. Now, 6 months, 1 year or 10 years later, your life has changed and your parenting plan is making your life miserable. So what do you do next?
From my own experiences with parenting plans and changes in circumstances, I have learned that it simply is not healthy or effective to keep your concerns about your parenting plan to yourself. The parenting plan is not intended to be a document carved in stone. There are elements in place that are designed to help making periodic adjustments easy to do. However, no matter how small the changes are that you need to make to your parenting plan, it will need to involve both you and your ex-spouse.
When a parenting plan no longer works for one or both parents it needs to be revised. To do this you will need to talk with your former spouse and discuss what has changed for you and then talk about what changes you would like to make to the parenting plan. If your parenting partner can accommodate these changes then you will generally just need to file a notarized addendum to your divorce file that shows proof that both you and your ex-spouse agree to the changes. If your ex-spouse can’t accommodate the changes then you will need to negotiate with them to figure out a solution to your scheduling issues. If you don’t get along well with your ex-spouse then you can enlist the help of a mediator.
Making changes to your parenting plan is one of your responsibilities as a divorced parent. If you have troubles finding a solution, consider utilizing a divorce mediation specialist. Children after divorce need stability and excessive changes to their schedules need to be avoided a much as possible to maintain an equilibrium between your children and divorce.
