When you sit down with the other parent to negotiate your custody arrangements and parenting plan, you can include provisions that may help your children adjust. For instance, most children thrive on routine, so if you both keep the same basic schedule for them, it could make things easier. They may get up at the same time each day, eat their meals around the same time and be required to do their homework before playing.

You may consider establishing some rules that are non-negotiable regardless of which parent the children are with at the time. When parents are consistent, the children know what to expect. This goes for discipline as well. If your children know that the consequences for breaking the rules are the same at each house, they may be less likely to break them — or at least know what they face if they do.

As difficult as it may seem during the divorce, it is possible to continue working together as parents after it is finalized. Your child custody agreement and parenting plan are the first part of that journey. The agreements may not come easy at first, but if you keep your children’s best interests in mind as you sit down to work out the details, you may find that the process goes more smoothly than you thought possible. Your agreement will still need to meet the court’s approval, so it may be beneficial to consult with a Kentucky family law attorney to help ensure that it does.

Source: thespruce.com, “7 Ways to Parent More Consistently With Your Ex“, Jennifer Wolf, Accessed on Oct. 14, 2017