Every year it seems to come earlier and earlier, but now it's here — Back-To-School time. Around the country, kids are preparing the supplies and picking out their outfits for the first day. But for some, things may be a little different than the last time they began because their parents are, or will be, divorced.
That's not a fun scenario, but it doesn't have to be the doom one you may expect. In the Huffington Post, Cheryl and Joe Dillon, who run Equitable Mediation Services, run through a few tips on how to make the transition to your child's new life as smooth as possible. More importantly, it will ease their mind to focus on more important things, like getting focusing on their schoolwork and getting good grades.
Keep Child Custody Arrangements Consistent After the divorce proceedings, you will develop a schedule on how to split the child's time between your two homes. Do not deviate from this routine, especially if the child has to switch schools because of the move. They have enough change in their life right now, there's no need to add another level of stress on top of that for them, and you.
Leverage Technology to Improve Communication We're not talking about cell phones for the kids. We're talking about the divorcing spouses. Great communication isn't the hallmark of relationships between divorced couples, so you must develop a way to keep in touch with each other about school calendars, doctor's visits and activities from different houses.
Inform Teachers and Counselors This might be the toughest, but it's one of the most important — you need to inform the child's teacher and school administrators about the situation. Many children find it hard to express what they're feeling and instead it may present as poor performance in school, bullying or even drug or alcohol abuse. A favorite teacher or counselor isn't their parent, and your child may be more comfortable opening up to them about how they're feeling.
For More:
5 Back to School Strategies for Divorced or Divorcing Parents (Huffington Post)
Photo Flickr/US DoE