As a mediator, I spent a lot of time helping divorcing parents work out a fair and realistic agreement parenting plan or custody that works for them and their children. The plan must protect the interests of children and parents who know children better. Absent any abuse, is really the parents, not the judge or other experts, who need to work together to create a parenting plan that will work for everyone involved. That is where this book comes in “Building a Parenting agreement that works: child custody agreements Step by Step” Mimi Lyster Zemmelman contains practical solutions and sample language for divorcing parents overcome barriers and build housing agreements win-win that allow everyone, parents and children, to live in their new format.
Obviously, I think a mediator is considerably advantageous when disputing parties are trying to reach an agreement, but for many, using text such as “Building a Parenting agreement that works” to help Zemmelman their with successfully navigating these tricky waters in a stressful period. The book does an excellent job of covering all the key ingredients of a successful agreement of parenthood. And I would like to point out that a successful parenting agreement is one that works for the people involved. You do not want to use a cookie cutter plan for all, but rather to design the plan that works for the people and the situations involved.
After a brief introduction explaining the book, part one focuses on getting started and covers topics such as making the point of your situation, an introduction to parenting arrangements, organise and advice on how to negotiate a parenting agreement.
The second part of the book focuses on effective Parenting agreement. It has chapters on building your agreement, the basic elements, more parents problems and serious situations special challenges. Not everyone needs all the members here, but it’s nice to have included both for those who do. Once again, you need to use the parts of the book that fits their situation.
Third part of the book has chapters that go beyond parenting agreement. Chapter topics include: child support, alimony, property, arbitration and mediation work for you, make changes, understand your kids needs, international, multicultural and multiracial families, nontraditional families, State and federal laws affecting the custody of children and contribute beyond the book in co-ownership. The appendix contains several worksheets and a Parenting agreement void fill.
Because the laws are changing continuously, it is prudent to check with a lawyer or your local courts so that any read the book of acts are accurate for your jurisdiction. It is also advisable to seek advice from a lawyer if you have questions about your divorce. I also liked the chapter on mediation, because if you have difficulty in building a parenting agreement, the assistance of a mediator can be extremely beneficial. This is especially true for those who have difficulty communicating with each other.
For the divorce of parents, this book has a lot of good information. Nolo books do an excellent job of making accessible to anyone with legal questions. However, as an attorney and mediator, I also found this book very valuable for my practice. The information provided in this book will help me to help others. I recommend it highly to any divorce parents and to all brokers and lawyers who assist parents divorcing.