Children are dealing with a host of complicated issues today. Everything from civil unrest and virtual threats online to environmental hazards and safety in schools impacts our kids.
Raising children today is hard enough for parents; doing it after a divorce can make things more difficult. With this in mind, parents may want to consider addressing the following topics when discussing co-parenting plans and custody agreements.
- Dietary restrictions: Some parents choose to adopt a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, while other parents must take certain precautions when preparing food due to a child’s sensitivity or allergies. In a parenting agreement, parents can set rules or expectations for a child’s nutrition.
- Mental health issues and treatments: Many children experience depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions. Managing these with medication, therapy and lifestyle changes is a big job for anyone, let alone a child. Thus, parents will need to establish their approach to protecting a child’s mental health and addressing their care needs.
- Health care choices: Some parents have specific views on matters like vaccinations or birth control methods for daughters. If parents agree on these topics, they can define them in a parenting agreement. If they disagree, they can identify options like mediation to find a solution if and when the time comes to make a decision.
- Responsible use of technology: When children go online, they can see and do many things that parents would not like. As such, parents should attempt to get on the same page about things like restrictions on social media use and screentime. If a concern does arise regarding cyberbullying or the amount of time a child is online, parents can commit to discussing the issue together.
- Education: Children already face educational demands like virtual learning and high workloads. Adding parental divorce makes it more difficult for a child to focus on schoolwork and performance. Therefore, parents should make it a priority to discuss educational expectations and rules for things like extracurricular activities.
Parents who discuss these and similar matters when creating a parenting agreement can make it easier to avoid legal conflicts in the future.