According to TMZ, Jesse Williams, the star of Grey's Anatomy has moved out of the family home but he has remained civil with his estranged wife for the sake of the kids. Sources suggest that Williams and his ex-wife have been co-parenting their son and daughter for months since they officially separated.

Apparently, Williams is seeking joint custody of the couple's 3-year old and 1-year old but his ex-wife has yet to file a response to the divorce.

Co-parenting can be made easier if the parties have a parenting plan in place. A parenting plan is a written document that outlines how parents will raise their child after separation or divorce. The Plan can focus on issues such as how decisions will be made about the children; how information will be shared between the parents; and when each parent will spend time with the children.

If a parenting plan is not detailed enough, it can be completely useless. For instance,

• children may miss out on spending time with their friends or participating in activities;
• lose touch with grandparents and other extended family; and
• may not receive timely adequate medical care.

A well designed Parenting Plan makes allows parents to deal with day-to-day decisions with ease such that the children experience less stress and uncertainty related to their parents separation or divorce.