Why parenting comes last
In the traditional adversarial system, parenting arrangements and financial matters are contested at the same time, and usually the financial conflict bleeds directly into parenting conflict. When a parent is afraid about their financial future, every parenting arrangement feels like it has financial implications. Children unintentionally become part of the negotiation. It is one of the most damaging things the traditional system does to families.
That’s why Fairway resolves finances first. Property division, spousal support, and child support are determined in Asset Division & Support before parenting is ever discussed in any depth. By the time both parents sit down to build their parenting agreement, they have already agreed on the difficult financial things. The parenting conversation becomes a discussion about their children only, not a proxy battle about everything else.
What the Nurtured Children Plan™ covers
The Nurtured Children Plan™ is a comprehensive, forward-looking parenting agreement that covers the full arc of a child's life in two households. It addresses parenting time, holidays, school breaks, and vacation arrangements, as well as how major decisions about education, healthcare, and extracurricular activities are made together. It establishes communication protocols, how changes to the arrangement are requested, and how disagreements are resolved. The plan is designed to serve your family from your children's current age through to adulthood, including situations you haven't yet imagined.
It begins with the parenting schedule: the regular rhythm of parenting time that forms the foundation of the children's lives in two homes. This covers the school week, weekends, and the transitions between homes. It addresses holidays and special occasions, for example how Christmas, birthdays, and school breaks are handled year to year. It covers summer and extended vacation arrangements, including how travel decisions are made and what notice is required.
Beyond the schedule, the Nurtured Children Plan™ addresses decision making responsibility: how the two parents will make important decisions together about their child's education, healthcare, religious upbringing, and extracurricular activities. It establishes how parents will communicate about the children and how often, and what happens when a parenting issue needs to be resolved quickly. It includes provisions for how either parent can request a change to the arrangement, and how those conversations will be handled without returning to a formal dispute resolution process.
The plan is comprehensive, and will cover situations you haven't yet imagined. It specifically addresses how disagreements are solved, and it includes provisions for updating arrangements as the children grow. The parenting plan will serve you well from the current age of your children to the time they become adults.
