You have a lot of freedom when creating a parenting plan. You and your children’s other parent need to work together on it because the court will demand you reach an agreement. Other than that, though, you can do pretty much whatever works best for your family without any concerns about rules or guidelines with one exception.
According to the California Courts, the judge, who will finalize your plan and make it a legal order, will mainly look to see the plan is what is best for your children.
Best interests
The law always sides with your children in any custody issue. This means that the judge will want to see a parenting plan that considers the children above all else and puts their needs first. He or she will also want to see that the children get quality time with both of you so that they can develop meaningful relationships with you both.
Details
It helps if your plan has details. The more specific you are, the easier it is to avoid issues in the future. You should cover not only the time-sharing aspects of custody but also decision making details. Laying out everything will give you a solid path moving forward and make it simple to know what to expect.
You should be practical about your plan and make sure you think about transportation, interruptions to the normal schedule and special events. You want the plan to cover everything. However, keep in mind that you can modify the plan in the future as the needs of your family change.