A Tennessee parenting plan gives you and your child’s other parent a guidebook of sorts to reference when raising a child together – but in separate homes. The parenting plan uses plain English, rather than complex legal language, to outline many aspects of your co-parenting relationship.
Per the Tennessee State Courts, the ultimate goal of a parenting plan is to serve your child’s best interests. There are certain elements you and your child’s other parent need to address when drafting your parenting plan. Some of these elements are as follows.
Who has the child and when
You may use your parenting plan to set expectations about who is going to have your son or daughter on holidays, spring or summer breaks and so on. You may also stipulate how you plan to manage pickups and drop-offs. If there is a considerable distance between parent homes, you may also have to address who is responsible for paying for gas or finding alternative transportation arrangements.
How you plan to handle conflict
Even smooth co-parenting relationships encounter occasional bumps in the road. You may use the parenting plan to outline how you plan to handle inevitable conflicts. You may decide to do so through mediation or arbitration, among other examples.
Who claims the child for tax purposes
For some former couples, figuring out who claims the child on taxes is a point of contention. By outlining who is going to do so and when in your parenting plan, you may be able to avoid related conflicts down the line.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of all areas you might need to address in your Tennessee parenting plan.