Parallel Parenting: An Option for Parents Undergoing a Contentious Divorce

 Posted on October 05, 2026 in Family Law

Working together to raise children after divorce can be especially difficult when conversations frequently turn into arguments. Parallel parenting gives parents a way to stay involved in their children's lives while limiting direct contact with each other. If you plan to file for divorce in 2026 and have concerns about your future parenting plan, a DuPage County, IL divorce attorney can help.

How Does Parallel Parenting Work in Illinois?

With parallel parenting, instead of discussing every routine issue together, each parent handles the child's daily needs during his or her parenting time. It can also limit how parents communicate with each other.

Typically, they will use email or text messages to share information about the child rather than relying on phone calls or face-to-face conversations. They can also arrange parenting time exchanges in a way that limits unnecessary contact. Written messages also help to keep conversations focused on the child and create a record of what was discussed.

Both parents still have to follow the parenting plan. This includes the parenting schedule and the rules for making important decisions about the child. Shared information about schedules or other needs should go directly between the parents through the method set out in their plan.

This approach can create more consistency for the child. Each parent knows what is expected during his or her parenting time, and the child is less likely to be caught in arguments between the parents.

What Should an Illinois Parallel Parenting Plan Include?

Under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, an Illinois parenting plan must address several issues. For parallel parenting, the plan can set clear rules for:

• When the child will be with each parent
• Where parenting time exchanges will take place
• How the parents will communicate about the child
• How important decisions about the child will be handled

The schedule should cover holidays, school breaks, transportation, and other details that often require parents to communicate. It can explain how schedule changes should be requested and how much notice a parent should give. Addressing these issues in advance can reduce the number of things parents need to work out later.

Who Makes Decisions About a Child in a Parallel Parenting Arrangement?

According to 750 ILCS 5/602.5, the court can give significant decision-making responsibilities to one or both parents. The decisions referenced in the law involve education, health care, religion, and extracurricular activities.

As previously mentioned, when parallel parenting, parents can make routine, day-to-day decisions while the child is in their care. They can also make emergency decisions when needed. This allows each parent to handle normal daily matters without discussing every choice with the other parent.

What Happens if Parents Cannot Agree on a Parenting Plan in Illinois?

Parents who cannot agree can each submit a proposed parenting plan to the court. The court will likely order mediation to help them try to resolve their differences, unless there is a reason mediation is not appropriate. If they still cannot agree, the judge will decide how parenting time and significant decision-making responsibilities will be handled.

Under 750 ILCS 5/602.7, parenting time is based on the child's best interests. The court looks at the child's needs and each parent's role in caring for the child. The court can then enter a parenting plan that sets the parenting schedule and other terms the parents could not resolve themselves. Once the plan becomes part of the court's order, both parents are required to follow it.

Contact a DuPage County, IL Divorce Lawyer

A contentious divorce can be extra challenging when you share a child and have future parenting decisions to make. At Mirabella, Kincaid, Frederick & Mirabella, LLC, our attorneys can help you create a parenting plan with clear expectations for both parents.

Contact our Wheaton, IL parenting plan attorneys or call 630-665-7300 to schedule an initial attorney meeting. MKFM Law serves family law clients from our offices located in DuPage, Kane, and DeKalb Counties.