Parenting Decisions

Other family members, significant others, in-home daycare, or formal facilities are all options for providing care when parents are unable to be with their children. Summer camps, day camps, or sleep-away camps provide not just child care, but social and learning opportunities for some children. Many parents find it helpful to use mediation to make parenting decisions about child care.

Parents need a plan for pick-ups and drop offs. These often happen through school or childcare, but that may not always work. Having a plan in place that is mutually acceptable increases the likelihood these transitions will go smoothly for children. When parents are no longer in an intimate relationship, kids may not often see their parents together. When exchanges are peaceful, children will thrive.

Parents decide everything from how to deal with a common cold, to possible counseling for a child, to how to handle gender identification issues with children. Conflict may be avoided by thinking about these things before they arise, or having the assistance of a professional to discuss these topics, since the health and well-being of your children is of vital importance. 

Different families have very diverse views on the role significant others should or shouldn’t play in a child’s life. For some, this causes problems; for others, these are “bonus parents” who provide additional love and support to children. When the involvement of significant others is causing problems, mediation is a safe place to have conversations about appropriate roles, responsibilities, and boundaries.

Children spend a significant amount of time in school. Where to attend school; and how to handle things like homework issues, supplies and fees, special needs, and the need for tutoring, can be the sources of disagreement in some families. When parents can be on the same page, supporting their children’s academic involvement together, children benefit. Mediation can be an excellent tool to assist these discussions.

Parents need a plan for who will claim the dependency exemption and child tax credit, which can have a big impact on your income tax liability or refund. There are special rules from the IRS, and your mediator can help you navigate this concern.