As you get divorced, you know that you’re eventually going to want to date again. You’re not there yet and it may take years, but it is a goal that you have. The same is true for your ex. Both of you plan to eventually have new people in your lives. You even look forward to it.
At the same time, you’re creating a parenting plan for your children. This touches on things like where the children will live, who makes decisions for them, who can pick them up from school, when you’ll exchange custody, and much more. But does it address your new partners and how they can fit in to this family unit? It certainly can.
Third parties
Contact with others is a big part of a parenting plan. This can include grandparents and other extended family members, but it can also include third parties or family friends. No matter how you classify your new romantic partners, they’re going to fit in to one of these categories, at least at first. This means that your parenting plan can govern when they’re allowed to be with the children, if they can be alone with them, if they can take them to school or the doctor and many other things.
Some parents simply restrict all of this, while others sit down and hash out the fine details to create a plan that carefully manages contact. No matter what your goals are, you always want to protect your children, so make sure that you create a parenting plan that accomplishes that goal and addresses as many scenarios as possible.