Divorced Seattle parents may have had a tough time hashing out where their children would spend the holidays. However, other families may have made this decision long ago, by spelling it out in their child custody agreement.

Custody agreements made in Washington typically include several elements, including where the children will live and the visitation rights of a non-residential parent. Sometimes, a custody agreement may dictate where a child will spend holidays, in order to avoid future arguments. Every divorce case involving a child in Washington must also include a parenting plan, which includes things like parental decision-making authority and other aspects of childrearing. Increasingly, these agreements are becoming very detailed about several aspects of raising children.

According to a recent news report, parents are including many details that affect the day-to-day life of children in their custody agreements. While planning out such particulars may seem awkward, it can often be beneficial to at least think about these issues. Including some of these difficult decisions in custody agreements can prevent arguments from coming up later.

The following are several details that parents may want to consider when designing a parenting plan:

• Faith

With the rise of interfaith marriages, and divorces, parents are making decisions about which faith a child will be brought up in after a split. Some parents like to plan out everything from church attendance, to Sunday school, to which parent will field questions about spirituality.

• Education

Where will the children go to school, and is there a plan for college? Who has a say in these decisions?

• Discipline

Who will be the disciplinarian, and what methods are acceptable? Oftentimes, parents consider these questions as well as how to report their children's behavioral issues to each other.

• Parent Dating

Sometimes, parents like to put guidelines into writing in regards to a parent's dating life. This may include how the nature of the relationship between the child and future girlfriends and boyfriends may develop.

• Holidays

Where and with who will the child spend holidays are often included in custody agreements. There may be certain religious or traditional activities that a parent feels are important to include.

While many families may not want to plan out these extremely-detailed activities in advance, it is important to think about these questions. If any of the topics above are hot-button issues, you may want to come to an agreement early and include the resolution in your legal divorce documentation. For some families, it works well to include vague guidelines so that issues may be revisited and revised later. In other cases, it may be wise to spell out specific plans.

Source: Washington Post, "Divorce's details: Custody agreements are getting more complex," Michelle Boorstein, Dec. 26, 2011