If you are facing divorce and have children, you will need to create a parenting plan that complies with the laws surrounding shared parental accountabilities. This plan must consider three main areas: child support, timesharing, and parental responsibility.
In the state of Florida, parenting plans must address parental responsibility and timesharing independently. Parental responsibility deals with the authority for each parent to make major decisions regarding a minor child’s life while timesharing closely resembles what used to be referred to as custody. Parenting plans are determined by the best interest of the minor child and may include, but are not limited to, the child’s education, health care, and physical, social, and emotional well-being.
Major decisions in a minor child’s life, such as what religion they will follow or what educational avenues they will pursue, are not made by the child; they are made by the parents. When parents do not live together as a result of divorce or separation, responsibility for both parents to make those decisions does not vanish. Florida strongly favors shared parental responsibility, requiring both parents to confer and consult with each other regarding major decisions in a child’s life.
Timesharing is a right held by the minor child to have frequent and continuing contact with both parents after a divorce or separation. Florida does not presume that it is in a child’s best interest to spend more time with the Mother or the Father. Both parents are on equal footing when requesting the court to determine a timesharing schedule. If the parents are unable to agree on a schedule, the courts will create one based on the best interest of the child.
For more information about parental responsibility, timesharing, and parenting plans, call the Men’s Rights Law Firm at 1-866-995-0166 or 239-829-0166 today.