43: What Happens to Your Parenting Plan When Your Ex Moves Out of State
About this episode
This episode discusses the implications of a parent's relocation on existing parenting plans and how to adjust them accordingly.
Your parenting plan was written assuming you'd both stay put. Life doesn't care what you assumed. A dating app match, a cheaper cost of living, a job offer three states away, and suddenly the plan built for two local parents doesn't fit the family it's supposed to protect. This week I'm walking through what actually needs to be in your parenting plan before someone relocates, not after. Start with the distance rule. Most plans use something like 30 miles or 30 minutes. Move inside that line, and the whole plan stays exactly the same: same visitation, same holidays, same everything. Move past it, and the plan should trigger a rebuild, not a scramble. Your plan should also answer whether the parent can move out of state at all, what notice they owe you, whether court approval is required, and whether the move triggers an automatic review. Then comes the real question: is this an adjusted schedule, or a full long-distance parenting plan? If pickups, school drop-off, and weekday dinners aren't realistic anymore, you're building a completely different structure, one built on big chunks of time instead of weekly visits. Spring break, summer, fall break, winter break, these start…
People in this episode
Host: Samantha Boss
Topics covered
- parenting plan
- relocation
- long-distance parenting
- visitation
- family law
Keywords
- parenting plan
- relocation
- visitation rights
- long-distance parenting
- family law
More episodes of The Ugly Truth of Divorce
- 45: The Communication Deadline Clause Nobody Puts in Their Parenting Plan
- 44: Can Your Ex Take Your Child Out of State Without Permission?
- 42: Vacation Clauses That Prevent Summer Custody Fights
- 41: Why the Priority List in Your Parenting Plan Matters More Than You Think
- 40: The Things No One Warns You About After the Divorce Is Final
- 38: The Top 7 Challenges of 50/50 Custody (Especially with a High-Conflict Co-Parent)
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Ugly Truth of Divorce podcast page.