The beginning of the school year brings extra complications, stresses, and demands. This is even more true for those trying to parent school-aged children with an ex. Here are some tips to help you survive the transition:
- Communicate: Communication with the other parent is key if you are going to build a peaceful and productive school year for your children. No matter the relationship between you and your ex, try to keep them up-to-date on the kids’ daily lives, and encourage the kids to communicate with them too.
- Share Schedules: The start of the school year means homework, extra-curricular activities, meetings, and much more. In order to make sure your ex is involved and available as backup for you, be sure to share calendars. An online shared calendar (i.e. google or outlook) is a great idea, or a program like OurFamilyWizard.com can help keep you on track.
- Be Flexible: Your kids’ plans will likely change on a daily basis (especially if they’re teenagers). Be flexible with your plans with your kids and with your ex.
- Be a Team: No matter your opinions about your ex, try your best to be a team when it comes to parenting. This means agreeing on discipline, rules, routines, and expectations so the kids can’t play one parent against the other. Discuss potential issues and strategies in advance so that each parent knows the plan when something comes up.
- Review Your Court Documents: Review the court documents governing your custody arrangement to remind yourself of everyone’s obligations. Any agreements to not follow the court orders should be in writing. It’s especially important to note deadlines in your order, like how soon you have to provide receipts for reimbursement to your ex. If you don’t follow the order and you don’t have the other parent’s written agreement to change it, you may be setting yourself up for conflict.
Have any questions about your court documents or are having issues co-parenting with your ex?
Hammerle Finley Law Firm. Give us a call. We can help.
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The information contained in this article is general information only and does not constitute legal advice.
