Parental Responsibilities is the term used in Colorado to define the divorce orders relating to children. This was formerly referred to as "custody". There are two components to parental responsibilities.
Decision Making
Decision making is just what it sounds like: how are decisions regarding the children going to be made after the divorce. The day to day decisions like bedtime, tv viewing and having friends over are made by the parent with whom the children are residing at the time. Major decisions, like religious upbringing, education and medical care are often made jointly, although this power can reside in one parent when in the best interests of the child.
Parenting Time
Parenting time defines where the child will spend her time:
- On a weekly basis
- During holidays
- On school vacations
There is literally an infinite variety of timesharing plans that work well for children and there definitely is not a "one size fits all" plan than can or should be applied in every case. If the parents cannot agree on the schedule they can enlist the help of count appointed mental health professional to make recommendations.
