Many Florida parents end up in divorce \but continue working together to raise their children. The best thing for the kids is to come up with the best co-parenting plan as part of the custody agreement. Parents may want to consider these parenting plans if they have teens.
Factors in parenting plans involving teens
Teens are more independent than younger children, so it’s sometimes easier to create child custody schedules for them. However, they are also more likely to have a variety of activities and interests for which parents will have to accommodate them when creating a parenting schedule.
By the time children reach their teen years, parents may have more time in their schedules. Often, this works in conjunction with the child’s own schedule as they have school, jobs, extracurricular activities and plans with friends. Parents must communicate just as they would when co-parenting a younger child and keep things consistent. However, teenagers are better at adapting to last-minute changes to the schedule.
Parenting schedules for teens
Your co-parenting schedule should reflect your teen’s needs, independence and schedule. It should also allow for sufficient quality time with each parent. The alternating weeks schedule often works well for teens because they’re less likely to suffer from separation anxiety being away from a parent for a full week like younger children.
A modified version of that schedule is the 5-2 plan; the teen spends the weekdays with one parent and the weekend with the other. After that first week, they alternate and stay at the other parent’s home for the week and then the weekend with their other parent.
Choosing a parenting schedule for your teen isn’t difficult. You may even want to include them in a discussion when you create it.