Parenting Tips for a Successful School Year After Divorce

 Posted on September 09, 2021 in Family Law Blog

Getting used to parenting with your kids in two separate households is a difficult but necessary task for many families adjusting to life after divorce. The start of a new school year puts additional responsibilities on parents as they try to arrange schedules, buy supplies, and manage expenses.

Thinking ahead is crucial for creating an adequate parenting plan. Having a plan in place can help a family transition into the academic year much more smoothly. Whether you have been divorced for years or are still going through a divorce, here are some things to consider addressing in your parenting plan as your children start school.

Share Unexpected Expenses

Child support is generally expected to cover a child’s cost of living at one home, but school can add extra unanticipated expenses. Extracurricular activities, books, and fees for tests and college-level courses can add up quickly.

Addressing how unexpected educational expenses will be handled is an important part of any parenting plan. Parents might split them 50/50, each parent may agree to pay for certain expenses, or one parent may be able and willing to pay for everything. Parents may also want to consider having their older children help pay for things like involvement in sports teams or school dances.

Be Flexible

School aged-children understand different parenting styles and can handle creative parenting time arrangements. They are also busy with classes, friends, and homework, which takes the pressure off of parents and gives them more flexibility. Your parenting plan can have an arrangement during the school year that includes longer absences from parents and less time spent transitioning between households.

On the other hand, one parent may find that occasionally asking the other parent to take the kids for a night can provide some much-needed alone time and relief. Kids look to adults for emotional guidance. If you seem comfortable and enthusiastic about a periodic change in routine, your child will likely be okay with it as well.

When Possible, Have Two of Everything

Having a backpack, notebook, and pencil case at each house can avert a crisis in the early hours before school when things are missing and nobody is thinking straight. Although some things cannot be duplicated, providing multiples of easy-to-replace objects can save parents hassle and stress.

Be Involved in Homework

Children do best when both parents are actively involved in their education. If one parent has high expectations for homework completion and the other parent is more laissez-faire, a child’s grades are likely to struggle. Parents should consider coming up with shared expectations surrounding homework. If you and your spouse cannot cooperate, set clear expectations with your child about what will happen in your home - and explain the likely consequences to their GPA if they do not keep up with school work at all times.

Work with a Lombard, IL Parenting Plan Attorney

Managing responsibilities, schedules, and expectations for children living in two households can be an enormous source of stress at the beginning of a new school year. Whether you need to create a parenting plan during your divorce, or already have a parenting plan that needs to be updated, the DuPage County family law attorneys at A. Traub & Associates can help. Call us at 630-426-0196 to schedule your initial consultation.

Source:

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?DocName=075000050HPt%2E+VI&ActID=2086&ChapterID=59&SeqStart=8675000&SeqEnd=12200000

https://www.forbes.com/sites/heatherlocus/2018/08/26/how-to-plan-ahead-for-a-successful-school-year-after-divorce/?sh=3321b1255ec4