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Senator Anne Cools on the Evil of False Accusations

Anne Cools - Google Search

Anne Cools' Website
 Anne Cools on False Accusations

EP Nemesis, Liberal Hedy Fry, the Queen of FALSE ACCUSERS

"Honourable senators know that I have studied a terrible and pernicious heart of darkness that has developed in our court system, being the use of FALSE ACCUSATIONS in civil justice.

This is the mischief of litigating parties, usually mothers, suddenly within the context of divorce and within child custody proceedings falsely accusing the other party, usually fathers, of the sexual abuse of their own children.    ,,,    

These FALSE ALLEGATIONS are often made with the overt or covert complicity of their lawyers. They are a lethal weapon in the business of parental alienation. They are a tool for achieving sole custody of children and creating fatherlessness."

More:  Issues:  Cools, Senator Anne

Jay Hill, MP (Prince George – Peace River)

We are also fortunate to have Jay Hill, MP (Prince George – Peace River)  here in British Columbia. 

“I’m pushing for equality —both parents should have equal rights and equal access to their child,” Hill said. “The courts seem to start from the premise that somehow fathers aren’t responsible parents. But both parents are deemed good parents as long as the marriage lasts; why are they not when the marriage ends?”   

More:   Jay's site;
Iissues:  Hill, MP Jay.

Paul Forseth, past M.P., (New Westminster-Coquitlam-Burnaby)

We are fortunate in British Columbia to have a number of pro-family parliamentarians.  Of particular prominence is Paul Forseth, M.P. -  member of the "For the Sake of the Children" Committee, co-author of the Dissenting Opinions, and a staunch advocate of pro-family concerns.  Paul has put in many years pushing to have Equal Parenting issues brought forward to the Canadian Parliament, and faced fierce opposition from the Prime Minister.   Both Paul and Senator Cools have pressed on to redeem fathers from groups like the Status of Women (SOW) enduring multiple death threats from various radical feminist groups while serving on the Committee.  These MPs are tough.

Monday Nov.7th 2005   Dear Equal Parenting-BC:    "Conservatives are committed to Shared Parenting. The national party “Policy Declaration” that was passed by delegates at our March 2005 Montreal convention says clearly that:   65. Shared Parenting:    A Conservative Government will make the necessary changes to the Divorce Act to ensure that in the event of a marital breakdown, the Divorce Act will allow both parents and all grandparents to maintain a meaningful relationship with their children and grandchildren, unless it is clearly demonstrated not to be in the best interests of the children.    

My Liberal colleagues that served with me on the Senate-Commons committee that wrote the “For the Sake of the Children report, admitted that they have little confidence that their Party will ever enact the needed amendments to the Divorce Act, that completely fulfills the report recommendations. The NDP opposed us during the Committee process, and have never been supportive of dads.

Conservatives are the only hope for fairness and reasonableness in Divorce and Family Law. I encourage those who care, to focus their energy where it will help the most, by working to elect as many Conservatives as possible. I hope that the many who are frustrated, not become sidetracked into protest, which does nothing during an election but undercut our ability to make good things happen. The Liberals and the NDP will say anything in an election to get a vote, but they will never deliver “shared parenting”. Every vote that does not go to a Conservative in the next election is a vote against “shared parenting”. Paul Forseth MP

Betty Hinton, MP (Kamloops Thompson)

Many thanks to  Kamloops MP Betty Hinton for standing up in Parliament  for us against the State funded FATHER HATRED of the Status of Women.  For an example of Betty's provocative advocacy, see:  Betty Hinton, Kamloops Thompson MP speaks against SOW's promotion of Father Hatred

Roger Gallaway, MP (Sarnia-Lambton, ON, Liberal)

Although not from British Columbia, and less familiar to us, we cannot neglect to recognize the solid support of once Liberal MP, Rodger Gallaway of Sarnia.  Gallaway and Cools were frequently photographed together while championing the rights of children to both NATURAL PARENTS.

 Philip Mayfield, Cariboo - Chilcotin

We also wish to thank retired MP Philip Mayfeild,  Cariboo - Childotin for his work in the Joint Committee.

Recovered pages of EPG website

equalparenting.net

Rights of fathers Ignored?
Both Parents Vita, Lynn Bentz
Broken Homes Mean Bleak Future
Fatherneed
Perception vs Reality
"For the Sake of the Children"
Some Facts on Families

Equal Parenting How To's:

 

Knowing Me, Knowing You, ABBA

In EPA we do nothing to make marriages "work".  It takes a MINIMUM of TWO to make a Marriage work.  It takes only one to end it..  Only occasionally, is it both who end it, and only occasionally is there not a Victim left behind.

We believe the the elimination of Victim's Rights brought in by NO FAULT DIVORCE was an outrage, and for the most part should be Repealed. Meanwhile the best we can do is to show you how to protect yourselves, your children, and your money from the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing everywhere in the Courtrooms, Schools, and other Government Offices.  You can effect Equal Parenting in various forms.  We like the form of a Living Will, the best to keep you out of that Hell called "Family Court"..  Please make it while you still both love each other, and look forward to a life together.  Please part as friends, and continue to love your children with a whole and undistracted heart.

Sheet Music Plus - Abba Search Results abba sheet music, Sheet Music, Song Books,  on eBay.com

Equal Parenting is like a "Three Layer Cake"

It seems to help thinking of an Equal Parenting Agreement as structured like a "Three Layer Cake".  Each successive Layer rests upon and satisfies an Obligation of the former  The "Bottom Layer", the "Initial Agreement" establishes a collection of Covenants which span all years to the children's Age of Majority

The "Middle Layer", the series of "Annual Parenting Supplements" finalize a specified subset of agreements which could in the Initial Agreement be made only In Principal, or as "Wishes" (in the language of a Trust).  An Annual Parenting Supplement for each of intervening year fulfills an obligation created in the Initial Agreement.  Each member of the series of Annual Parenting Supplements series is made about the same time each year and deals only with parenting decisions for the upcoming year which were deferred in the Initial Agreement. 

At-A-Glance® Erasable Yearly Vertical Jumbo Wall Calendar, 48" x 32", 2005The "Top Layer", the series of "Parenting Time Timetables"   is progressively created as a necessary component of each Annual Supplement to the Initial Agreement. The Parenting Time Timetables designate  which of the two Equal Parents (or perhaps a Natural Grandparent) has the  "Parenting Time" for a given Calendar day of in the upcoming year.   Each Annual Supplement and it's embedded Parenting Time Timetable is necessary to perform the Obligations or Trusts of the Initial EP Agreement.   

Equal Parenting Thumbnail

Now we turn to the function of each layer of an Equal Parenting Agreement.  Note that Equal Parenting does not require the two parents to get along on matters of daily living.   Equal Parenting provides AUTONOMY of the 'Timetabled Equal Parent" on all matters not previously constrained.  Equal parenting does not require a parent to be an exemplary parent, indeed we maintain NO NATURAL PARENT shall be displaced from a Child's life WITHOUT CAUSE or CONSENT

What Cause is claimed by a Public Officer to remove a Child must be supported by Statute, NOT "CASE LAW".  We oppose the Fitness Test incorporated by the slogan "for Both Fit Parents.  External, existing legislation on Parental Fitness is sufficient , and it is necessary that Equal Parenting legislation be SILENT on Parental Fitness to avoid incongruiies and burden a Natural Parent any more than a Mother pimping her Chlldren.

Although existing statutes for the most part already require Equal Parenting,  these are routinely ignored by the Judiciary.  To gird your Natural Parents' Rights against the pervasive Judicial Activism of Family Courts, we  suggest it really is an obligation of any responsible parent or potential parent to create & notarize an Equal Parenting Agreement.  Each Agreement consists of three basic components we seem to be calling "Layers" of a "Three Layer Cake". 

The "Layers" of Agreement sort all components of parental agreement  into

  1. the Bottom Layer (the Initial EP Agreement), which never change until the Agreement expires; 

  2. the Middle Layer (the series of Annual Suppliments) which make it possible to revisit guardianship issues only annually,  (but if not revisited, assume the default values planned in the  Initial Agreement), and

  3. the Top Layer (Autonomy on all matters not previously constrained, which  require NO agreement and alternates physical custody between the two Equal Parents according to the Parenting Time Timetable (from the current Annual Supplement to the Initial Agreement)

The Remedy for Non-Performance  of an Equal Parent is provided by the Friendly Parent Rule (Divorce Act 16.10)  (which the Judges and their Liberal & NDP lackeys in Parliament hold in contempt.)  We advise the loss of Parental Rights of the non-performing Equal Parent provided by the Friendly Parent Rule be limited to the current and following Annual Supplement. 

BTW, we also encourage Natural Grandparents and Natural Siblings of an Equal Parent to stand as Subjugate Co-Parent to an Equal Parent's half interest in Parenting.  Their signature is not required at the creation of an Equal Parenting Agreement, but their signature will be required to sign off as Subjugate Co-Parent to the defaulting Equal Parent before a Sole Custody arrangement is settled on.

So long as the Natural Parents remain married, there will be no need for the second or third layers, of course.  These are evoked upon Separation, on the death of the legal Person constituting the married couple.  We think there may be good argument for .keeping your Agreements maintained with a Notary Public, and avoid the Family Courts completely if you can.

The Initial Agreement creating the Equal Parenting Plan, the "Bottom Layer", establishes the  equality of BOTH NATURAL PARENTS subordinate to NO third parties.  The equality of both Natural Parents cannot be revisited without Cause.   Equal Parenting is about equality in PARENTAL STATUS AND POWER, and does NOT require equality of Parenting Time, though equality of Parenting Time is desirable.  Embedded within this Initial Agreement is an Agreement in Principle (or Wishes in a Trust) concerning a FINITE and SPECIFIED set of parenting issues which are too difficult to determine with finality in the initial year.  Instead, there is within it, the Agreement in Principal and the Covenant to revisit these SPECIFIED topics annually in.....

The Annual Supplement, the "Middle Layer" of an Equal Parenting Agreement.  The Annual Supplement finalizes for the coming year the parenting elements which could only be agreed to In Principle (or as Wishes) previously. These parenting elements are typically the Guardianship topics and include things like like choice of school, sports memberships, etc..  Embedded within each Annual Parenting Supplement is the final.....

At-A-Glance® Erasable Yearly Vertical Jumbo Wall Calendar, 48" x 32", 2005Parenting Time Timetable, the "Top Layer" , which for the current year's Annual Supplement alternates primary parental care and control of the children between the two Equal Parents on specified Calendar days, distributing Parenting Time more or less equally across the Calendar Year. 

As the 'Timetabled Equal Parent", one of the two Equal Parents operates independently of the other on all matters not previously constrained in the Initial Agreement or by it's reference, the series of Annual SupplementsThat is the two Equal Parents are AUTONOMOUS ON ALL RESIDUAL PARENTING MATTERS, while they are the Timetabled Equal Parent.  Some lawyers call this "parallel parenting", but try to get a lawyer to definitively define their terms and you'll have a difficult job!!!!  We say any Agreement with fuzzy terms or that can be "Interpreted" out of it's original meaning is worthless.  No one should pay a dime for a such a thing, so keep legal jargon which is only there to bamboozle you out of your Agreement.

At all times, the Non-Timetabled Equal Parent is available to act as Legal Parent for day-to-day parenting matters should the 'Timetabled Equal Parent" be unavailable to third parties to whom temporary care and supervision of the Child has been given for school, sports, or whatever. In the absence of the Timetabled Equal Parent the Non-Timetabled Equal Parent" remains a Custodial Parent to whom Teachers, Lawyers, Social Workers, and other Public Servants  must defer unless they can prove Cause for Removal.  AT NO TIME DOES A TEACHER, SOCIAL WORKER, PASTOR, or other "Family Services worker" displace an Equal Parent in Parental Supremacy over their own Natural Children without Cause.  If Cause exists, it exists only by Parliamentary Statute, and for the motivated Third Parties to interfere with the Divorced Family, they must satisfy the criteria set out in the Statute by which they claim.

When a Natural Parent truly becomes unfit or unwilling to act as an Equal Parent the Parenting Time of this Natural Parent should probably be attributed to a willing Grandparent, Aunt and Uncle, or God Parent  as Trustee of the Parenting Time for the Natural Parent and their side of the Natural Family.

An Equal Parenting Agreement as an Adaptation of a Living Will

In view of the social warfare being illegally perpetrated on BC Families we STRONGLY recommend you keep your Equal Parenting Agreement OUT of their evil Courtrooms and  structure your Equal Parenting Agreement as a Living Will, which you will create it BEFORE you get married, and BEFORE you engage in any baby-making activities. 

We believe there still a few Sober Judges in Non-Family Courts, so we would have you go to their Courts when necessary and avoid like the Plague the Courts of the Hysterical Judges graduated by the Women's Studies Propagandists at UBC & UVic's Law Faculties,  .

The parenting elements solemnized in the initial Equal Parenting Agreement and those deferred to the  Annual Supplements, and their Parenting Timetables  must be DISCRETE and INDEPENDENT of each other.  To provide continuity for the Annual Supplements, it is recommended that a lot of premeditation is put in by the divorcing parents which results in a written Statement of Intent (ie. Wishes) for the children of the dying marriage.  These are binding in a general sense, but are not binding in detail.  For these legal structures we borrow from the ideas used in Living Trusts and Living Wills.

Since Family Law Courts have become extremely hostile to Canadian children and families, it is also very helpful to look to legal structures which keep parents AWAY from the Family Courts, and settle their differences in a Trust Court with Trust Judges.  They will then be acting as Parenting Trustees and as Settlors of the Parenting Trust..

You should seek to obtain an Equal Parenting Agreement BEFORE YOU MARRY, and failing that BEFORE YOU HAVE CHILDREN.  Nevertheless, even when a Parent decides to break up their children's home, the writing of a Parenting Agreement adapted from a Living Will provides a lot of utility in practical and emotional matters. 

A component of an Equal Parenting Agreement borrowed from Trust Law is a section of  Wishes indicating the intent of the parents of the dying marriage while relinquishing parental control of the progeny of the marriage to the Trustees - the newly divorced natural parents. 

This is a concept borrowed from the settlement of Living Trusts, in which we view the Married Parents to have died legally, and in the settlement of their affairs upon their marriage's death, assigned the task of parenting their children to their appointed Parenting Trustees.    In an Equal Parenting Agreement, the married parents, prior to death (divorce) assign the role of parenting their children to their Trustees, and appoint each other as the Co-Trustees in parenting of their children when they are gone. 

If a Co-Trustee fails to perform their responsibility to conform to the terms of the Equal Parenting Agreement, they may be found to be in Breach of Trust, and may be removed as a Co-Trustee.  (Since the Settlors and Co-Trustees are one and the same Natural Parents, this will probably require a visit to Trust Court.)  By referring to the "Equal Parenting Agreement" we are referring to both the Initial Agreement and all the subsequent Annual Supplements which are in fact it's Appendixes.

When and Equal Parenting Agreement includes a Parenting Timetable which distributes Parenting about equally between the Parenting Trustees readily ends controversy about how birthdays and special calendar days are allocated between parents because each parent has equal likelihood that any particular calendar date will fall on their time. No need to get upset by disappointments in the current year.  Over time, everything will even out, . 

Equal Parenting makes it easy for the Timetabled Parent to let a child go to random special events at the other parent's because firmly establishing the Equality of Parents had ensured there is ZERO IMPACT on Parental Rights by being flexible in day to day parenting.  The children have about as much freedom as they did prior to divorce, and their losses due the Divorce are much less.

Structure of an Equal Parenting Agreement

The initial Equal Parenting Agreement establishes the requirement for future Annual Parenting Supplement, and sets out specific elements to be reviewed  in the  Annual Parenting Supplements.   In this initial Agreement, it is likely helpful to pre-plan tentative arrangements for several Annual Agreements in advance.  Later on,  these tentative arrangements may be used as a fall back position for parenting if at some point, a formal Annual Agreement isn't made in a timely fashion.

Usually the term of an Annual Agreement is one Calendar Year, or one School Year.  An Annual Parenting Supplement establishes for the given year only parenting elements not already settled in the initial Agreement.  Typically the  parenting elements addressed in the Annual Agreements  are:

  • School(s) attended, the

  • Daycare(s) attended,

  • extra-curricular activities,

  • funding these parental elements, and

  • the all important Parenting Timetable

The Parenting Time Timetable, divides all Residual Parenting Elements (day-to-day parenting, basically) by TIME, and assigns Parenting Time  to each parent  in alternation, allowing each parent severally to make decisions on these Residual Parenting Elements with  INDEPENDENCE of the other Equal Parent.  Each parent is assigned in alternation the SOLE right of decision making on all parenting matters not previously constrained.  The parent executing these residual rights of decision-making is referred to as the "Timetabled Parent".  For the most part the Timetabled Parent and the parent exercising care and control will be one and the same, but does not need to be always the case.

In the Annual Supplements the roles of "Timetabled Parent" and "Non-Timetabled Parent"  alternate between parents at least until the child reaches the age of majority with the intent that over time the sums of Parenting Time will be approximately equal between the parents.  This can be accomplished in many ways.  If Parenting Time is not in the long run about equal, it will be non-equal BY CONSENT of the two Equal Parents. It is crucially important that neither parent be able to become abusive to either a parent or a child, and that the Children perceive NEITHER parent as more powerful than the other.  Living under a Parental Tyranny is highly destructive to a Childs developing autonomy.

In preparing an Annual Supplement, the parents, are acting as Parental Co-Trustees to both "deceased" married parents, and are at all times bound by the Covenants of the Initial Equal Parenting Agreement prepared by the married, but divorcing parents - the Settlors.  Parental Co-Trustees are expected also to conform generally with the Settlor's Wishes.  As Co-Trustees. The divorced parents make decisions in the Annual Supplement IN TRUST for the Settlors of the Parenting Trust -  the "deceased" married parents and are subject to being found in Breach of Trust.. 

The Annual Parenting Supplement by nature incorporates the Parenting Time Timetable.  This is the document to which any Enforcement Officer can refer, and immediately end disputes.  The security of both parent/child relationships, and the rights of all parents and children are respected and enforceable.  The Provincial Courts and their Officers will not have the latitude to harass a selected parent  they do so casually now. 

The "Non-Timetabled Parent" is always "second in command", and as an Equal Parent is subordinate to no third parties.  This allows them to act  on behalf of the children in the absence of the Timetabled Parent.  Good sense though requires that the Non-Timetabled Parent act invisibly as an assistant to the Timetabled Parent and be there to smooth over rather than aggravate matters. In the execution of the Equal Parenting Agreement, the parents are best to to stay out of each other's business;  and focus on the peaceful alternation of "supremacy"  on day to day issues between otherwise equal parents. 

It has been said that it is the CERTAINTY of negative consequences, not the SEVERITY of negative consequences, that is most effective in ending bad behavior like non-performance of a Parenting Timetable.   By enforcing these simple Equal Parenting Agreements, most of the disturbances now caused Sole Custodial Parents will be eliminated over several years.  This will provide a far better environment for children than what the Courts provide now,  the Presumption of Sole Custody except by the consent of the mother.  As many have said, Statutory Change must include a Rebuttable Presumption of Equal Parenting.  We skip the oft-mentioned Shared Parenting, because Equal Parenting is inherently shared.

Changes to the Parenting Timetable  can be made at any time by mutual consent of the parents WITHOUT LAWYERS' INVOLVEMENT by way of  an  "Ad-Hoc Agreement".  If changes to the Timetable cannot be made by mutual consent, the Parenting Timetable in force stands, and the Timetabled Parent has the last say.  The outcome might not be optimal in the light of information just learnt yesterday, but it is fair, reasonable and workable.  Such minor irritations do not warrant legal action.

Equal Parenting How To's:

 

More:

EPOC's Brief to JC.
Gov't of Canada's Response

On this Page:

The Bottom Layer: the Initial Agreement creating the "Equal Parenting Plan"

The more decisions that  can be settled in the Equal Parenting Agreement, the less trouble and expense  later in rehashing these same topics every year in the Annual Parenting Supplement.   All these settled joint decisions are set down in the legally binding "Covenants  Section" of the Equal Parenting Agreement.

The Supremacy and Legal Equality of Both Natural Parents

Any  "Equal Parenting Agreement" must establish the legal equality of both parents.  This is already guaranteed under in the  Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Sections 15.1 & 28).   Neither parent’s authority is subjugated to any third party:   This is very easy to do conceptually. 

The problem as always are the ubiquitous femiinarcissist "Women's right to Choose" types.  For these it is second nature to demand the woman's prerogative and right to murder unborn children with impunity at taxpayers expense, the right to murder their husbands and young children demanding  the greatest sympathies and leniencies of the Courts, and to "murder" their husbands and older children emotionally and financially in Family Court.   Stay clear of these ubiquitous femiinarcissists.  Do not be seduced by them.   They mean you and family members no good.  Their intent is for your harm, and once injured, to give them greater access to emotionally vulnerable women and their children.  Tales of seduction and sexual harassment in Women's Shelters abound.  All these, if in government service, are in  Breach of trust by public officer   To cover their tracks, and those of their kind, femiinarcissist "Activist Judges" have by MIS-interpretation of the Charter fabricated the fictitious "Charter Rights" of "sexual orientations" while ignoring generally the true Charter Rights of Fathers and their Sons to equality on the basis of "sex" literally prescribed TWICE in the Charter.)

Long Term Planning for Parenting, entrenched as Covenants

Anticipate all the joint decisions that have to be made in parenting until the end of high school, and  arrange them into functional periods according to chronology.  For example, plan separately the pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school periods of Parenting.  The objective is to develop an exhaustive list, which is  to hashed over  until a consensus is reached.  What can be agreed upon is entrenched into the Agreement as Covenants. 

Determine to lay down enough of a backbone of Covenants, so that future efforts will be directed at day to day matters, rather than foundational issues, like custody and guardianship - all easy money for the legal profession, but lousy for families.  What cannot be determined in advance, and laid down in Covenants may be deferred to Annual Agreements to supplement the initial Equal Parenting Agreement.  

If at all possible, determine the "Parenting Community" for each period, and lay that out in either the Covenants or Wishes section..

Parental "Wishes" Section

In addition to a  "Covenants  Section" of the Agreement which IS binding, you can  make a non-binding statement of intent in a "Wishes Section" to guide any person caring for the child in absence of both parents.  Set you mind to the prospect of "dying" and you are having to set out your wishes to whoever is caring for you children after your "death".  For decent parents, this should be an easy and collaborative part, and provides momentum for more difficult questions.

This might be the place to begin the Agreement making  process.  It fits in well with the death of the marriage, and some of the grieving that entails.

Although not strictly binding, the Wishes Section provides any non-parent providing care, or making decisions on behalf of the child in the absence of the parents a description of the Trust placed in them.  This is also the measure by which any such non-parent is to be judged to be in breach of the Trust  placed in them by lending them parental powers in trust.

Short-Term Planning Parenting Supplements, "Annual Agreements"

An ESSENTIAL Covenant of the Equal Parenting Agreement is that Annual Parenting Supplement WILL be made yearly. 

It is prudent to include in the initial Equal Parenting Agreement what would normally be considered Annual Agreement material, to provide a preexisting agreement to fall back on if one of the parents refuses to participate in the preparation of an Annual Agreement in the future.

Embedded with in the initial Agreement and each Annual Supplement is a "Parenting Timetable" to govern which parent has autonomy on all residual day to day parenting issues on each calendar day in the year in questions

At-A-Glance® Erasable Yearly Vertical Jumbo Wall Calendar, 48" x 32", 2005Parenting Timetable:

The "Timetable"  plans a one year calendar of parenting alternation, encompassing all 52 weeks of school weeks and non-school weeks.  The Timetabled Parent is the parent obligated to provide care for the child and given the right to decide how care not already determined in the various covenants will be implemented. 

It is desirable for the parenting split ratio between parents to be close to 50% for many reasons. If the parents both live within driving distance to the child's school, it is difficult to imagine why this would not be possible. 

Remember, what alternates  in the Timetable is the OBLIGATION to provide care and the RIGHT to make a parental decisions not already established in the Covenants.  Usually the right and obligation of care is concurrent with physical care, but not necessarily. 

If for some reason the Timetabled Parent cannot be physically present with the child during their Timetabled time, we think it is preferable to leave small children especially in the care of the Non-Timetabled Parent than any third party.  Under an Equal Parenting Agreement this should not become contentious issue.  The Time-tabled Parent retains the obligation to provide care, and the right to decide how that care will be implemented (subject to the Covenants and Wishes), even while the child is in the care of the Non-Timetabled Parent. 

The Non-Timetabled Parent of course in not under obligation to provide care at such time, but if they are willing, the Timetabled parent may assign care to the Non-Timetabled Parent.. 

The Middle Layer: the Series of "Annual Parenting Supplements"

Each spring, in anticipation of the coming school year, the Equal Parenting Agreement requires a list of specific parenting decisions be reviewed, modified if necessary, and recorded in the Annual Parenting Supplement.  The usual topics to be reviewed are schooling, day care, extra-curricular activities, medical, health, how to pay for things, and so forth. 

This is typically very simple and straight forward.  Any married couple would have to do the same thing  yearly.  The Annual Agreements, often in tabular form, are written down and formalized in writing.

If for some catastrophic reason, preparation of these Annual Agreements become problematic, they may be settled by Mediation or Binding Arbitration predicated on the equality of the parents and all constraining  Covenants and guiding Wishes made in the initial Equal Parenting Agreement.. 

We tend to place a high value on maintaining a single community for both parents, the settling stability of weekly routine, and flexible  predictability.  Parents who move away move away without their kids until alternative arrangements are made.

The Top Layer: the Series of "Parenting-Time Timetables"

Embedded within the initial Equal Parenting Agreement and each Annual Supplemental Agreement is a refreshed  "Parenting-Time Timetable". On any given day, one parent is the Timetabled Parent, and the other parent is the Non-Timetabled Parent.  Neither parent’s authority is subjugated to any third party, and they themselves are of equal status, with alternating parental care and control.  

Set down in each Agreement, specific dates and times which predetermine which parent exercises parental control on any given date in the Calendar Year.  This constitutes the "Parenting-Time" Timetable.  Ideally you will have tentative Parenting-Time Timetables planned out from Divorce through until the children reach the age of consent, which will be tweaked and ratified in each Annual Parenting Supplement..  Registering the Equal Parenting Agreement and it's Annual Supplements in Provincial Court means its terms can be amended without the chronic  involvement of lawyers or their additional cost to the raising of a child.

With in a calendar year there are ? weeks of Summer Vacation, ? weeks of Standard School Weeks, and within the school term, ? weeks of School Vacation.  We recommend these all be divided as equally between the parents as practicable.  With Equal Parenting both parents have equal rights to  parenting time, but may waive these rights for practical considerations.  Equal Parenting rights are guaranteed under the Charter, but rarely complied with in Family Court.

By adhering to this ESSENTIAL principle of INDEPENDENCE on day to day parenting concerns not jointly established in the Covenants and Wishes sections of the Agreements, disagreement which are bound to occur between parents on day to day parenting are eliminated.  This independence does not permit a cantankerous parent, usually the mother, to  escalate problems with Joint Custody into a false claim sole custody predicated on the disruptions she herself created.   Traditionally, because of the most favored status of women in BC Family Courts, Mothers gain by being disruptive, while Fathers can only loose if they can't keep things on a steady keel with the mother.

The Icing on the Cake!

Just think of all the money your family will save by heading directly into an Equal Parenting Agreement!  

By the way, studies have clearly shown that the old sixties thinking  that conflict is harmful to kids is WRONG!  Conflict in marriage is not an excuse to end the "commitment" provided in marriage for your spouse and your children.  On the contrary, it is not CONFLICT that harms kids, it is protracted, UNRESOLVED CONFLICT, such as that inflicted on us after Divorce by the Family Law Industry, that creates the damage to our kids. 

Conflict is inevitable where freewill exists, within Marriage, and after Divorce.  In fact, CONFLICT DEMONSTRATING PROBLEM SOLVING  and  CONSENSUS BUILDING between equal partners is a necessary and highly beneficial environment for kids to be raised  in , and far superior to the autocratic tyranny  of a Sole Custodial Parent.  What needs to be avoided is the long term, UNRESOLVED conflict, the current practice of the Family Law Industry creates.  Long term, unresolved conflict is a problem while  the opportunity exists for one of the parents, typically the mother determines to be uncooperative or disruptive.  Many, if not most BC judges allow women to be disruptive and  make false allegations  in their bid for sole custody, even though they are instructed in the Divorce Act to remove the disruptive parent from the class of custodial parents. 

You can save all that money the lawyers will charge you to mess up your family their way, and have fun with your kids to put some icing on your cake instead.  Minimize the lawyers, and lather on the Icing!

Copyright 2002  equalparenting-bc.ca 

 

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