It's not easy to make choices during your divorce that will make sense for your New Jersey family for years to come. This requires that you set aside your own personal feelings and consider what will work best for your children long-term. Many parents choose to negotiate a joint custody plan, but you may not be certain that you can make this work with your soon-to-be ex.

If there is no way that you and the other parent can work well together, yet you feel strongly about providing your children regular access to both of you, parallel parenting may be the right choice. This custody plan offers your kids the ability to maintain strong relationships with both parents, yet the parents will have very little direct interaction. Before you make any final decisions, however, you would be wise to consider the long-term implications of your choices.

How does it work?

In a parallel parenting plan, there is a very clear and thorough custody plan in place. It is essential that this plan accounts for virtually everything, giving parents a very specific blueprint regarding schedule, expectations and communication for both parties. Some of the things that need to be in your parenting plan include:

• Drop-off and pick-up procedures
• Visitation and custody schedule
• Dealing with unexpected situations
• Communicating needs

The more thorough and detailed your parallel parenting plan, the less likely it will be that you have to deal with complications and unpleasant interactions with the other parent. By limiting your contact, you make custody work well for the sake of your children while preserving your own sanity and emotional well-being.

A divorce may be the end of your marriage, but you will be parents forever. The hard feelings and difficulty will not disappear overnight, which is why parallel parenting could be the right choice for your family – especially your kids.

Before you say yes

Something that may seem right today may not make sense long-term. This is why it can be helpful to discuss your individual and unique situation with an experienced family law attorney before you proceed. An assessment of your situation can help you understand if parallel parenting is best.

Divorce is not easy, but you do not have to take one step of this process alone. When you have knowledgeable guidance and support from the very beginning, you will have the ability to discuss your concerns and make choices that will be truly beneficial for the duration.