The right terms in your parenting and child support agreement can make all the difference. Most people going through a separation fail to see the long term effect of what a little extra work can accomplish. Dealing with your children’s section 7 expenses are one such section of agreements that be set up between parents to ensure that the future does not hold multiple court battles and endless hours of stress.

When discussing the terms of your child support and parenting agreement with your family law lawyer it always helps to be aware of what your personal expectations and goals for your children are. Do you want them to go to university or are you happy with them entering the work force after high school? Does your daughter show great aptitude in a sport that you could see one day requiring trips and equipment to national level events? The other main factor is what is reasonable given your income and that of your ex-spouse. If both parents are making a decent living and earning enough money to provide their children with one or two activities per year, then for one party to suggest the kids take up three additional activities is a recipe for disaster. In a similar way if one parent makes quite a bit more than the other spouse and they want the children enrolled in numerous activities that the other spouse is not in support of and can’t afford to support, such activity expenses should be discussed and included as being the responsibility of the higher income earning spouse. The court will recognize that some costs cannot be split evenly or effectively between parents if such costs would hinder one parent’s ability to provide the day to day necessities of the children. These questions can go a long way in the discussion of what you and your ex-spouse will have to potentially deal with in the future.

Another aspect is to establish insurance plans and discuss potential issues with medical and dental coverage for your children. If one parent has an exceptional dental plan attached with their employment you can agree that the premiums of the plan can be split as a set monthly amount to be used towards section 7 expenses of dental work in the future. Alternatively both parents should share their insurance coverage with each other to also determine what will not be covered by their respective plans and how much certain items such as braces, or eyewear might cost them before such issues arise for their kids.