The regular schedule
Where the kids sleep on an ordinary school week.
- Which pattern, and which day it starts
- Exchange times and places
- Who drives, and what happens on snow days
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Minnesota parenting plan guide
A parenting plan your kidscan count on.
You both love your kids, and you’re both tired of arguing about the calendar. Compare the common Minnesota schedules below, then build the plan together with one neutral mediator. $1,695 per person, flat, for the whole Three-Part Process.
Talk with Ryan or Kate · free · 15 min · nothing to sign
Or text me: (763) 316-8323
Quick answer: a Minnesota parenting plan sets out three things: when the kids are with each parent, who makes which decisions, and how you’ll settle disagreements (Minn. Stat. § 518.1705). Parents can write it together in mediation; the decisions are yours.
Compare parenting time schedules
Tap a schedule to see two weeks of overnights and how they split.
Interactive · 14-day schedule visualizer
2-2-3: Two nights, two nights, then a three-night weekend that flips each week.
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Wk 1AABBAAA
Wk 2BBAABBB
- Parent A overnights7 of 14 (50%)
- Parent B overnights7 of 14 (50%)
- Handoffs every two weeks6
Often looked at for younger kids who do better with shorter stretches away from either home.
Counts overnights only. A picture of common patterns to talk through, not a recommendation for your family and not a prediction of what a court would order. General information, not legal advice.
The schedule is the start, not the whole plan
Most couples come in thinking about the schedule. It matters, but it’s usually the exceptions that cause trouble later: the holidays, the snow days, the soccer tournament two hours away.
In mediation we look at what each of your weeks actually looks like, what your kids need right now, and which pattern you can both live with. Then we write down the exceptions before they come up.
The Minnesota Judicial Branch posts a free Parenting Agreement Worksheet (PDF) with a scheduling chart. It’s a good thing to skim before we meet.
The decisions you’ll work through together
A checklist of what many Minnesota parenting plans cover. The answers are yours to decide.
Holidays & special days
Usually written to override the regular schedule.
- Thanksgiving, winter break, spring break
- Birthdays, Mother's and Father's Day
- Odd/even years, split days, or fixed holidays
Summer & vacations
School's out, so the weekly rhythm often shifts.
- Keep the school-year schedule, or switch?
- Vacation weeks and how much notice
- Camps, travel, and passports
School decisions
Who decides, and how you'll decide together.
- Choosing or changing schools
- Conferences, IEPs, and report cards
- Which address is used for enrollment
Medical & activities
Day-to-day versus bigger calls.
- Routine care versus major decisions
- Counseling, orthodontics, and insurance cards
- Sports, lessons, and who pays the sign-up fee
Communication & disputes
The law requires a dispute method; the details are yours.
- One shared app, email, or text?
- Response times and what counts as urgent
- Back to mediation before anything else
Sources: Minn. Stat. § 518.1705 (parenting plans), MN Judicial Branch, Parenting Agreement Worksheet (PDF), MN Judicial Branch, Child Custody definitions. Checked October 2026. General information, not legal advice. A mediator is neutral and doesn’t tell either of you what a court would do.
Open the interactive plan checklist (printable)
Your parenting plan checklist
Tick what you two have already talked through. It saves on this device.
“Required” items are the three things Minn. Stat. § 518.1705 says a parenting plan must include. General information, not legal advice.
How plans change as kids grow (infants to teens)
Under 5
Many families talk about shorter stretches and more frequent contact, so neither home feels far away.
Ages 5–9
School routines take center stage. Families often look at keeping weekday nights consistent.
Ages 10–13
Activities and friends start shaping the calendar. Plans often get more flexible.
Teens
Teens usually want a voice. Fewer handoffs, like week-on/week-off, come up often.
Parents can change the plan by agreement; to be enforceable, changes must be confirmed by court order (Minn. Stat. § 518.1705 (parenting plans), subd. 9). Many couples build a check-in date into the plan, and come back to mediation when it’s time.
The Flannel Three-Part Process
Not an hour of mediation. A whole process.
What we charge
$1,695 per person
Flat, for the whole Three-Part Process
It’s a process I’ve reverse-engineered from the psychology of what actually helps two people reach agreement: each of you is heard first, the prep work clears the ground, and by the time you’re together you can really see and hear each other without falling into the usual traps.
How a parenting plan comes together
- 1
Private one-on-ones
I meet with each of you separately, so each of you is fully heard about the kids before you’re in the same room.
- 2
The prep work
A short written intake on your own time: your work schedules, the kids’ calendars, and what you already agree on.
- 3
The session
Together, virtual by default. We’ll work toward a written parenting plan on the issues you both agree on.
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Virtual by default
Sessions run on secure Zoom, so you can each join from home, anywhere in Minnesota. No hourly billing, no retainer.
In person, by appointment
In-person meetings at our St. Paul office, 971 Sibley Memorial Hwy, are available by appointment and may carry a facility fee.
Need a court-roster mediator? Kate McLaughlin is a Qualified Neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice. What Rule 114 means →
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Parenting plan questions
Often, yes. That's why the Three-Part Process starts with a private one-on-one with each parent: each of you is heard before you're in the same (virtual) room, and the written prep narrows the conversation to what's actually unresolved. If there's been domestic abuse, see the question below; mediation isn't always the right fit.
No. The free 15-minute call is just you. We'll talk through where things stand and whether mediation looks like a fit; if you both go ahead, each of you gets your own one-on-one first.
Under Minn. Stat. § 518.1705, subd. 2, a parenting plan must include a schedule of the time each parent spends with the child, a designation of decision-making responsibilities, and a method of dispute resolution. Parents may add other matters they agree on. This is general information, not legal advice.
Yes, that's what mediation is for. You two work through the schedule, holidays, school and medical decisions and how you'll communicate, with a neutral mediator keeping the conversation productive. The decisions are yours. Ryan is a mediator, not an attorney, and doesn't give legal advice; either of you can have a lawyer review the plan before anything is filed.
There isn't one right answer. 2-2-3, 2-2-5-5, week-on/week-off and alternating weekends each trade off handoffs, routine and time in each home differently, and what fits often changes as kids get older. The visualizer on this page shows how each pattern splits 14 overnights so you can compare them side by side.
Minnesota now uses 'parenting time' where it used to say 'visitation' (MN Judicial Branch definitions). Section 518.1705 also lets parents who agree on a parenting plan use other terms in place of physical and legal custody, as long as the plan defines them. A lawyer can tell you how that applies to your paperwork.
Plans often change as kids grow. Section 518.1705, subd. 9 says parents may modify the schedule or decision-making provisions by agreement, and that modifications must be confirmed by court order to be enforceable. Many couples come back to mediation to work out the update together.
Divorce mediation with Flannel People is $1,695 per person, flat, for the full Three-Part Process: a private one-on-one with each of you, written prep, then the session together. It isn't an hour of mediation; it's a process reverse-engineered from what actually helps two people reach agreement. Sessions are virtual (Zoom) by default. In-person meetings at our St. Paul office are available by appointment and may carry a facility fee.
Not always. The court's own Parenting Agreement Worksheet notes that parts of it aren't appropriate for families who have experienced domestic abuse. The private one-on-ones are a confidential place to raise it. If safety is a concern, talk to a domestic violence advocate or an attorney.
- Parenting time mediation →
- Child custody mediation →
- Co-parenting mediation →
- Divorce cost without a lawyer →
Court forms: MN Judicial Branch, Child Custody forms.
Flannel People Mediation · 971 Sibley Memorial Hwy, St Paul, MN 55118 · (763) 316-8323. $1,695 per person, flat, for the full Three-Part Process. Virtual (Zoom) by default; in-person meetings at our St. Paul office are available by appointment and may carry a facility fee. Kate McLaughlin is a Rule 114 Qualified Neutral.
Want help building the plan together?
Pick a time on the right. If mediation fits, $1,695 per person covers the whole Three-Part Process. Ryan is a mediator, not an attorney, so this is mediation, not legal advice.
What happens on the call
- 15 minutes, free. Just you and Ryan or Kate, by phone or Zoom.
- You tell us where things stand. No forms first, no judgment.
- We explain the Three-Part Process and the $1,695-per-person flat fee, and whether mediation looks like a fit.
- You decide later. Nothing to sign, nothing to pay. Your spouse doesn’t have to be on this call.
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The 4 Questions I ask each person, alone, before a session
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