Parenting can be tough when both parents live apart and are no longer under the same roof. Add in a global pandemic, and now you’re in unchartered territory.

As cases continue to rise, circumstances for a lot of families continue to change. Here are some tips for parents who are struggling to navigate these challenges as co-parents.

Let Your Children Know Your Plans

You can consider letting your children participate in your routine visitation schedule and safety plans during their next visit. Ask your children how they feel about your goals for visitation.

Giving your kids a choice to plan activities with you should help them feel a sense of security and control. Consider communicating with your kids about what they would like to do. They’re also dealing with the pandemic’s effects, and maybe the usual activities they were looking forward to like sports or a school dance are still on hold.

Let your kids plan fun things to do with you and your ex during visits. You may see positive results, such as reduced stress and excitement for future family activities. Try to keep what they want as a focus for what you plan to do.

You can explain the safety measures they should take when you’re out as a family, such as keeping hand sanitizer nearby. Try to keep a backup plan and let your kids know the details if COVID-19 causes unexpected changes. This can make future visits less stressful and more relaxed.

Communicate Clearly With Your Ex

Having clear and open communication with your ex is a great way to minimize confusion about your plans for visitation. There are several ways to keep lines of communication open.

Apps have been beneficial for some co-parents who find it hard to communicate. Some apps allow you to create a schedule, send and receive messages, share receipts, and use the information exchanged in a court case. Using an app would be a great way to keep constant, open, and honest communication. Here are a few co-parenting apps with great features that are free to download:

  • Our Family Wizard

  • Coparently

  • AppClose

Modify Your Custody Order

You may have had a disagreement with your ex in regards to parenting during this pandemic. And if you haven’t reviewed your court orders in a while, now is a perfect time. Take a look back at your parenting plan and review what you and your ex agreed on for guidance. You may find that it would be best, given the circumstances, to modify your custody agreement. Our team at Bobby Dale Barina, Attorney At Law would be happy to review your agreement and discuss options that may better fit the changing needs of your family.

We know it is not easy to co-parent during a pandemic and our firm is here to assist current and new clients. Contact our team at (254) 323-5506 to speak with a skilled family law attorney about your custody case.