Schools are back in session in Wake County and the rest of North Carolina. For divorced parents, that often means returning to a complicated schedule of who’s doing the afternoon pick-ups and morning drop-offs, going to orientation, chaperoning field trips and all of the other activities that come with having children in school.
Those simple daily details can often be harder for divorced spouses that dealing with the intricacies of custody, asset division and child support matters during the dissolution of a marriage. The Huffington Post highlighted the back-to-school problem well in a recent article.
According to a couple cited in the report, the central arguments stemmed over who wasn’t included in a parent-teacher conference, how homework was being handled, and the signing of permission slips. Been there, done that? Take a look at these tips for co-parenting now that your kids are back in school:
- Look at the entire school year: School systems usually map out the entire year for families. Bring your calendars to a meeting and make general plans about who is responsible for what, with an understanding that schedules could change based on everything from emergencies to inclement weather.
- Set up your carpool arrangements now: Schools often require parents to fill out forms about pick-up schedules and emergency contacts. Make sure your forms are clearly spelled out and agreed upon to avoid confusion.
- Don’t make school the custody swap location: Divorce may be hard enough on your children without bringing extra tension or bad feelings into the mix at school.
- Keep your child out of school-related communication: Talk to your ex about any important messages involving school meetings, events and activities. You may not get the information if the child is expected to relay it, or if you do, there’s no way to know that the message will be accurately conveyed.
- Everyone should be involved in homework: Although homework responsibilities often fall on the custodial parent, the non-custodial parent should always check to make sure that the child is completing all assignments and projects to avoid conflict and school problems.
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