Useful Tips For Long-Distance Parenting

Categories: Alimony & Child Support

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When you need to share parenting time with  A co-parent that lives far from you after a divorce, it can make things very difficult. For parents who live in different areas of America, it is even more important to develop an effective parenting plan that can accommodate both parents. Each family is different, so you will need to find the plan that best works for you.

Consider Potential Problems

Before you can devise an effective parenting plan, it is important to understand the potential issues you may need to face as a long-distance family. When a couple divorces and one parent relocates, it can make things more difficult for the family. If one parent chooses to move to another state or country, it is critical to make a thoughtful parenting plan for the child. Your long-distance parenting plan should address these issues:

  • Transportation: When you arrange a visit, who will be paying transportation fees? If a child flies to see the parent, parents may choose to split the fees. These details should be discussed with your co-parent and your divorce attorney.
  • School: Your parenting plan will need to accommodate your child’s school schedule. Hence, you need to decide what is the optimal time for you to visit your child, and this timing should be planned around the child’s educational needs.
  • Communication: How should the child communicate with their parent that lives a distance away? Regular phone calls, emails and video calls are some platforms for children to keep in touch with their long-distance parent.
  • Visitation: When the other parent visits, you will need to figure out how to settle the lodging of the co-parent. Such logistics need to be planned and settled ahead of time.

Regular Visits

There are different arrangements your family can follow to maintain a healthy parenting relationship. Regular visits is one way. This means that the co-parent who lives far away will come by often to visit the child. On the other hand, the child may be the one flying to visit the other parent regularly.

Planning Around Your Child’s Schedule

Another way to ensure that your child’s needs are prioritized is to plan around their schedule. In such arrangements, parents usually only see their children during winter or summer breaks, but the visits are for a longer time period of about a month or more. In such arrangements, the non-custodial parent can be with their kid throughout their entire vacation period.

Scheduled Trips

Many parents who live far from their children opt to schedule trips in order to block out that time period to spend with their children every year. However, such trips do not occur often so parents may need to go for long periods of time without visiting their children. The upside of this arrangement is that each visit lasts for a longer time period of about a week or more.

Finding an Attorney to Help

Child custody and sharing parenting time is one of the hardest things to settle after a divorce. As such, it is important to seek the advice of a lawyer to help with your divorce and subsequent plans. Attorney Romanowski is a recognized attorney specializing in family law and is considered the top one percent of the nation by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. Attorney Romanowski will be able to help and advise you about your future plans.

Contact us to find out more about how we can help today.