Top 3 Critical Mistakes

According to the US Census Bureau, 10.1% of the US population will move every year, primarily due to (1) the desire for a better apartment or home, (2) to establish their own household, and (3) a family-related reason. That means there's a very high probability that your next landing spot won't be your last. Same thing holds true for your child(ren)'s co-parent.

Your residence, and their residence, will play a pivotal role in schooling, extra-curricular activities, and transportation. The critical mistake here is thinking that the permanent residences won't change. Most people aren't aware of Florida Statute 61.13001 which outlines parental relocation with a child. That's right! Your child(ren)'s co-parent can move up to 50 miles away without impacting your Parenting Plan.

If you don't understand the impact of relocation, or you fail to have the foresight to see how a change of address can adversely impact you and your child(ren), you will find yourself engaged in confrontation and legal battles 

When creating a Parenting Plan, we don't normally view schools as a perilous venue. It turns out, however, that havoc and chaos can be created at school by co-parents manipulating documents, or by school faculty and administrators making bad decisions. Your child(ren)'s school is supposed to be influenced by education and fairness, but a lack of knowledge and foresight on your part can lead to a disruption in time-sharing exchanges, unilateral decisions affecting your child(ren)'s academics, or a denial of records. 

The critical mistake here is thinking that you won't encounter problems with your child(ren)'s school. Parents in Florida have certain rights as outlined in Florida Statute 1002.20, and knowing these rights will help you to solve problems that will arise. In addition to knowing your rights as a parent of a K-12 student, you have to anticipate all of the things that can go wrong at school.

Imagine adding your brother to the authorized pickup card at the beginning of the school year. One day while you're attending a big meeting with a client, your brother attempts to pick up your child(ren), only to find out from the school administrators that he is not listed on the authorized pickup card. He calls you in state of panic and you're advised that the school cannot legally release the child(ren). It hits you like a ton of bricks that your disgruntled co-parent swapped out the old card for a new card, but that doesn't change the immediate problem that you and your brother are in a precarious situation. 

Parenting Plans layout the agreed upon procedures for co-parents to follow. When a co-parent wants to travel out of state for a family vacation, they can refer to foreign and out-of-state travel in Section 8. When it comes time to register the child(ren) for school, they can refer to the school designation in Section 9. And when they want to know the acceptable times to speak with the child(ren), they can refer to communication between the parent and the child(ren) in Section 11. 

The critical mistake here is believing that you don't need to have contingencies in the Parenting Plan to address the "what ifs". Consider a family vacation. The Parenting Plan may outline foreign and out-of-state travel, but does it address the passport(s). Who hold them? How do you exchange them? What happens when it has to be renewed? Most parents are not aware that a passport is only valid for 5 years for children under age 16. Reading about the Form DS-11 and Form DS-3053 will save co-parents a lot of aggravation.

One of the co-parents must be selected for the school designation, but what happens if that parent decides to move 45 miles away? Technically, that parents has right to move the child(ren) to different schools. How about calls between the parent and child(ren) being acceptable between the hours of 5:00pm and 8:00pm. Does that mean one call, or multiple calls and FaceTime video chats that potentially disrupt your time-sharing? Contingencies and foresight are a must. Common logic is not a substitute for the written word.