Long Distance Parenting Plans

Children of divorced or separated parents who do not have a nesting parenting plan may benefit significantly from a long-distance parenting arrangement.

It allows them to stay in regular contact with both custodial and non-residential parents, even if their residences are thousands of miles apart.

To avoid common parenting mistakes in long-distance parenting, consulting a Pleasanton child custody attorney can help.

Because each family’s situation is different, long-distance parenting arrangements must be carefully considered and meticulously planned. A long-distance parenting plan should detail the child’s travel expenses, travel arrangements, and logistics in general.

If you’ve already established a regular visitation schedule and need to renegotiate, a modification to parenting plans can prove challenging, but a Pleasanton parenting plan attorney can help with parenting plan adjustments.

Let’s look at some of the most important aspects of a long-distance parenting strategy.

Visits Monthly

It is common for parents who live a long distance away from each other to try to keep in touch by establishing regular monthly or semi-monthly visits with their children in their home state.

Non-residential parents are usually required to give notice of their intent to exercise this time to the residential parent to ensure that the children’s routine stays uninterrupted.

A long-distance plan could also include regular trips to the non-residential parent’s home state to keep them closer to their non-residence parents.

Long weekends, school summer and winter breaks, and so on are all examples of long-distance plans. However, in some cases, monthly visits may not be feasible.

The cost and inconvenience of traveling back and forth between two homes regularly may be prohibitive for children or parents who live a long way apart. As a result, most long-distance parenting programs call for more frequent and prolonged visits throughout school holidays.

Where They Stay During Holiday Breaks

Visiting time during school breaks and vacations is common in long-distance childrearing plans to help make up for the absence of constant contact between the children and the non-residential parent.

For both parents to spend time with their children on essential family holidays such as Thanksgiving, many families divide or alternate the time spent with each other. At least one major holiday should be celebrated with the children by each parent each year.

On top of that, the non-residential parent can get designated to spend extra time with the kids over long holiday weekends.

Travel Preparations

To get from one house to the other, the parents will need to arrange transportation regularly.

Travel by Plane

If the children are traveling by air, the itinerary must include provisions for them to be guided by an adult at all times, including during their layovers and arrivals. To fly accompanied, both parties must agree on the appropriate age.

Necessary details include the specific airports, reasonable travel times, and who is responsible for making the travel arrangements.

Transport by Land

The non-residential parent may or may not be responsible for ground transportation, depending on the circumstances.

In many states, the child support order is a better place to address the issue of covering the cost of a parent’s travel.

Communication

Frequent, often every day, phone conversations between the kids and the non-residential parent benefit from long-distance parenting plans. Among the possibilities are:

• Video Chats (on a set schedule)
• Emails
• Text messages

Working with a Pleasanton Family Law Attorney Is Essential

Whether you’re doing bird nesting parenting or long distance, the help of a family law attorney Pleasanton CA is essential. It ensures that your parenting plan, especially a long-distance parenting plan, provides both parents with pragmatic and considerable possibilities.

A Pleasanton child custody lawyer will ensure that you reach an amicable solution, especially for the children, as they know the toll these situations can take on the kids.