15 items your parenting plan should include

— 1. A residential schedule.– 2. A schedule for visitations.– 3. A schedule for the major holidays, such as Christmas.– 4. A schedule for the child’s birthday celebration.– 5. An agreement on how transportation will be carried out.– 6. Things to anticipate as the child grows up — especially when dealing with a child who is still too young to go to school.– 7. An agreement about contact with others, such as people either of you may end up dating or your extended family.– 8. How medications are to be given out, if applicable.– 9. An agreement on vaccinations.– 10. Basic rules about cellphones, Internet usage and the like.– 11. A sleeping schedule or curfew.– 12. Rules about entertainment, like movies and music.– 13. Involvement in sports and other activities.– 14. Religious participation.– 15. Other cultural aspects of the child’s upbringing.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of everything that you and your spouse need to consider, but it gives you a solid place to start and helps to show you just how many different decisions have to be made when agreeing on how you will raise your child after you split up. Make sure that you know how your legal rights play into this agreement and how they could change, depending on what you agree to.

Source: Single Parents, “30 Things to Include in Your Parenting Plan,” Jennifer Wolf, accessed July 02, 2015