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Designing a child custody agreement that puts kids at ease

By Katie L. Lewis

Parent spending time with a child outdoors

When parents in Dallas decide to end their marriages, they often want to do what they can to protect their children as much as possible. One way to do that is to design a child custody agreement that helps put the kids at ease. The children involved need to know that their parents still love them and that the love will not change after divorce.

Many parents are now turning to the concept of co-parenting, which allows both parents remain active in the children’s lives. This method generally works best if the parents are able to remain amicable. Each family’s circumstances are unique, and remaining amicable might not be possible.

However, that does not mean that parents cannot agree to share parenting responsibilities. Instead, they need to find a way to avoid conflict. The best way to do this could be through “parallel parenting,” which is similar to co-parenting except that the parties have little in-person contact with each other. Decisions regarding the children’s day-to-day lives, along with major decisions, are made together.

Many of the decisions subject to agreement can be outlined in a child custody agreement. Dallas parents might need to find a way to negotiate the agreement themselves, despite their differences, in order to ensure that the best interests of the children are protected. It could go a long way toward making the children feel comfortable with the changes they are about to face, giving them reassurance from knowing that their parents were able to put their differences aside for at least a while in order to help ensure their happiness.

Source: deseretnews.com, “How to make your children feel comfortable around both parents after divorce”, Megan McNulty, May 22, 2016

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