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Co-parents can make back-to-school season easier on their child

On Behalf of | Jul 26, 2024 | Parenting

Even when parents have a detailed time-sharing agreement and parenting plan in place, navigating the beginning of a child’s first school year after divorce can be challenging. If you’re still negotiating the details or maybe haven’t yet begun the divorce process, it can be highly stressful for everyone.

No one wants that for their child. That’s why it’s wise for co-parents to agree on some things ahead of time and codify them in some form. Let’s look at just a few examples.

How will you divide expenses?

These include not just the obvious ones like tuition and uniforms. There are new clothes and shoes, school supplies, lunch money, extracurricular expenses, bus passes and more. Work out how you’ll cover large and small expenses so your child doesn’t have to worry about who to go to for what or hear one parent blame another for not being able to afford something they need or want.

Have you given the necessary information to the school?

If you’re sharing parenting responsibilities, your child’s school should have both parents’ contact information. You likely want all notifications to go to both of you. 

You don’t need to go into detail about your divorce, but it can help if the necessary administrators and teachers know about it. It’s typically best when parents can communicate on their own about attending parent-teacher conferences and other events together and participating as chaperones and in other parental responsibilities at school. Teachers have enough to do without being go-betweens with ex-spouses.

Have you set clear and consistent rules for your child across your homes?

The end of summer means stricter bedtimes, new rules around gaming and other non-school-related screen time and earlier curfews. It’s best for parents to have consistent rules, even if they aren’t precisely the same. You can include these in your parenting plan so they’re clear to everyone.

These are just a few things to consider as you transition to a new school year. Having experienced legal guidance can make all the difference in how your child experiences and later looks back on this time.