As many divorced parents know, flexibility with the parenting schedule can be the key to making things work in some co-parenting relationships.
Flexibility with parenting and virtual parenting time
Perhaps after going through a divorce and setting up your parenting schedule, you and your ex-spouse realized that some of the parenting times will not work due to changes in job duties. While virtual time is not a substitute for in-person parenting, it can be a way to keep strong and consistent parental ties with your child. Your ex-spouse may not know when they need to travel, but they should be able to maintain a routine parenting schedule on the weeks when they are not going out of town. For those weeks, you should encourage a regular schedule. Then, when they do need to go, consider virtual parenting time.
For example, if your ex-spouse normally sees your child on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday for several hours after school, consider asking them to set up “time” with your child on Skype or another virtual platform during those hours when they’re out of town. They could play video games together during that time despite being far apart. They could also do homework together or just have a conversation between your ex’s work meetings.
Consult an experienced family law attorney
Responsibilities at work may strain parenting schedules from time to time, but virtual parenting could help in cases where one parent has to travel. Think about if this could be helpful for you. If so, it can be added to your Parenting Plan. The attorneys at Solomon Law Firm can answer questions about parenting and facilitate changes in your agreement if necessary.
