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Updated February 3, 2020Fill Out Paperwork While Young Daughter Watches" width="1200" height="800" />
If you and your (ex) partner want to raise your children collectively and cooperatively, co-parenting agreements can help improve your focus. Find out how to co-parent through planning an agreement together that may turn both of you into better parents.
In short, co-parenting means both parents work together in a cooperative manner to raise healthy, happy and well-balanced children. This type of parenting puts a large portion of the family focus directly on the children and requires certain skills. The introduction of an agreement between both parents ensures that everyone involved with raising the children adheres to similar values and works towards the same goals.
A parenting plan, or co-parenting agreement is essentially a non-binding contract that outlines how shared children will be raised. The document outlines a variety of guidelines, rules, and schedules as they relate to shared children, and it is signed by both parents. Some states might require a co-parenting agreement for divorce proceedings, but this type of document is never legally binding unless it has been signed by a judge.
A co-parenting agreement template can help you find a starting point for discussing your parenting plan. This free, editable co-parenting agreement PDF can be used as-is to help you figure out your plan or as an example of what the document you create could look like. It is not a legal document.
No matter the circumstances, all parents and children will benefit from well-crafted co-parenting agreements that enhance co-parenting communication. However, most parents who are still together and reside in the same home never think about implementing an agreement to care for their children. It may become more and more common to have cooperative agreements between parents in the future, even when the parents live together and have no special needs.
Some situations that commonly rely on co-parenting agreements include:
An agreement between parents or custodians about how to raise their kids is a serious matter. For best results, all parties included in the contract (parents, god-parents, grandparents, etc.) must sit down together and work out the details in a cooperative manner. If you believe your children will benefit from such an agreement, check out what needs to be in a parenting plan and start creating your own.
It might seem silly for married people to draft a contract for cooperative parenting, but having a document like this can serve as a guideline for raising children and prevent misunderstandings down the road. When parents agree on key issues early on, children tend to grow up to be confident, emotionally secure and successful. This also applies to parents who live together as a couple, but were never married.
Points to consider when coming up with a document include:
