What the Courts Expect in Parenting Plans for Active-Duty Service Members
Being a parent while serving on active duty presents unique challenges. Deployments, relocations, and unpredictable schedules create a dynamic family structure that can make co-parenting particularly complicated.
Despite these challenges, courts recognize the additional complications military families face and are committed to crafting parenting plans that account for service members' responsibilities while prioritizing your children's best interests.
At Columbia Family Law Center, we’re dedicated to helping families like yours build arrangements that provide stability and support, even amid frequent changes or deployments. Having worked with many military families over the past 30 years, we understand the importance of creating parenting plans that adapt to the unique realities of military life.
With offices in Federal Way, Tacoma, and Bellevue, Washington, we serve military families throughout the state. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and explore what the courts will expect from a military parenting plan.
What Is a Parenting Plan?
Parenting plans outline how parents will share time and decision-making responsibilities for their children. For active-duty service members, these plans also need to address the challenges of military life, such as temporary duty assignments, deployments, and permanent change of station (PCS) orders.
Washington courts will consider many factors when crafting or approving these plans, and being prepared can help make the process smoother for everyone involved.
Factors the Courts Consider
When determining parenting plans, Washington courts will prioritize your child's best interests above all else. For active-duty service members, this often means addressing how military obligations might affect parenting time and how parents will work together to provide consistency, stability, and care for their children. The key factors courts will consider include the following.
The Parent-Child Relationship
Washington courts will evaluate the quality of the bond between each parent and your child. They will strive to understand the extent of the existing relationship and how each parent spends time with your child.
For service members, it’s helpful to document your efforts to stay connected despite the rigors of military life, such as writing letters, making video calls during deployment, or consistently showing a commitment to parenting responsibilities when not on duty.
Communication Between Parents
Clear and open communication between co-parents is critical to the success of any parenting plan. Washington courts will look for cooperative efforts and the ability to resolve disputes or make joint decisions concerning your child. For military families, tools like co-parenting apps or detailed provisions for relaying updates during deployments can demonstrate a practical approach to communication.
Plans for Deployment or PCS Orders
Service members' lives are often marked by frequent moves and temporary relocations. Parenting plans for service members should include contingency arrangements for these scenarios. The courts will often look for thoughtful plans that account for who will care for your child during temporary absences and how relationships with each parent will be maintained.
Stability and Predictability
Washington courts aim to ensure your child has a stable, predictable environment, even as life circumstances shift. For active-duty parents, demonstrating a consistent effort to provide a stable home life or ensuring that the other parent can maintain continuity during service obligations is important.
How to Craft an Effective Parenting Plan
When creating a parenting plan, it’s important to anticipate the realities of military life. A well-constructed plan will address both the responsibilities of serving in the armed forces and your children's needs. A few elements to consider when crafting a plan as a service member or co-parent of one include the following.
Flexible Visitation Schedules
Military schedules can change with little notice, so it's important to build flexibility into a visitation plan. Washington courts typically encourage parents to work together to make adjustments as needed, but having provisions in place, such as understanding how make-up parenting time works, can alleviate stress for both parents.
Delegation of Parenting Time
For service members who may be unavailable due to deployment or training, the courts may permit the delegation of parenting time. This means another trusted family member, such as a stepparent or grandparent, can step in to maintain contact between your child and the military parent.
Communication During Deployments
Maintaining contact during deployment is a key concern for military parents. Including the frequency of phone, video, or email calls in a parenting plan helps your child stay connected to the parent who is away. Washington courts value plans that emphasize maintaining a meaningful relationship despite physical distance.
Contact Us Today for Help with Your Military Parenting Plan
Parenting as an active-duty service member comes with its share of unique hurdles, but with the right support and a carefully designed plan, it’s possible to create an arrangement that works for everyone.
At Columbia Family Law Center, we know how overwhelming the legal process can seem, especially when you face the challenges of active duty. Over the past three decades, we’ve worked with countless military families throughout the greater Tacoma area, Puget Sound region, and the state of Washington.
We bring empathy and understanding to every case, helping parents create parenting plans that meet both the legal requirements and the reality of their lives. We’re also proud to offer a 25% discount to military families at all our locations in Federal Way, Tacoma, and Bellevue, Washington. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
