Washington state now uses a Parenting Plan. The Parenting Plan provides where the children will reside 365 days a year.
All major holidays are divided, as are vacations and special occasions such as birthdays.
Depending upon the circumstances, all or some of these areas may be required to be made jointly, or by one parent or the other. The statute sets forth the criteria for determining whether joint decision making is appropriate, when this issue is contested. In general, if there is a history of abuse or confrontation, it is not appropriate for there to be joint decision-making on the major issues. The statute provides a variety of factors in considering which parent will have the children the majority of the time. Each case is different and how these factors will be weighed depends upon the individual case.