According to Minnesota laws, you and the other parent should consider the following factors when making decisions regarding the development of your parenting plan:
1. The wishes of the child's parent or parents.
2. The reasonable preference of the child.
3. The parental roles.
4. The intimacy of the relationship between each parent and the child.
5. The interaction and interrelationship of the child with a parent or parents, siblings, and any other person who may significantly affect the child's best interests.
6. The child's adjustment to home, school, and community.
7. The length of time the child has lived in a stable, satisfactory environment and the desirability of maintaining continuity.
8. The permanence, as a family unit, of the existing or
proposed custodial home.
9. The mental and physical health of all individuals involved.
10. The capacity and disposition of the parties to give
the child love, affection, and guidance, and to continue educating and raising the child in the child's culture and religion or creed, if any.
11. The child's cultural background.
12. The effect on the child of the actions of an abuser.
The Minnesota courts realize you and the other parent know your own situation better than anyone else, which is why this is your opportunity to create a parenting plan that will maintain a family structure that is in the best interests of your child(ren).