Providing Holistic Solutions To

Family Law Disputes

Providing Holistic Solutions To

Family Law Disputes

3 parenting issues to address in a custody agreement

On Behalf of | Oct 16, 2024 | Divorce

Parents preparing to live separately while their children are still young have to address custody issues. The most pressing aspects of shared custody include the division of overall parenting time and the allocation of decision-making authority.

A custody order can help guide the co-parenting relationship and limit the conflict that the family has to endure after transitioning to a two-household arrangement. There are matters beyond just shared parenting time to consider when establishing a custody order. The inclusion of the right details can help prevent the parents from fighting one another and may help them co-parent more effectively as their children mature.

What sorts of issues do parents need to agree on for the most effective co-parenting approaches to take root?

Household rules and curfews

Children have the easiest time adhering to family rules when they know what others expect of them. Typically, that means they need consistency. If the rules are slightly different at each house or if one parent doesn’t enforce the curfew, that can lead to a lot of challenges in the transitions between the two households. Establishing rules for the children ranging from expectations for household chores to when they go to bed at night can help parents provide the consistency their children need. Parents can even establish a system that ages with the children with different rules that apply at different points in their development.

Technology and media matters

One of the most common sources of parent-child conflicts in modern families is technology and media. Children and teenagers want to use digital devices, join social media platforms and play video games. Parents have to decide what is appropriate for their children at different ages and what limits they need to enforce. From prohibitions on social media to limits on total amounts of screen time and rating limitations, there are many technology and media rules that parents may want to set. Those rules are much easier to enforce when they are consistent at both houses.

Standards for socialization

Children need to socialize with their peers for optimal development. Parents often need to have certain standards for socialization. For example, they may not want to permit overnight visits in certain scenarios. They may choose not to allow teenagers to attend parties without adult chaperones present. They may even want to establish minimum grade requirements if their children want to attend social events or participate in team sports.

Parents who establish various rules, standards and expectations in their custody arrangements can help to minimize a risk of conflict with their children and with one another. Sharing custody effectively often begins with laying the groundwork for a healthy co-parenting arrangement by addressing numerous issues proactively.