The beginning of a new school year can bring a lot of stress for parents: getting the kids into a routine, making sure homework gets done, keeping on top of permission slips, and attending parent teacher conferences. These tasks can often be more difficult for divorced or separated parents, having to balance everything between two households. But, if you do your homework, you can make it a smooth, fun, and successful school year for your child.
Set routines
A new school year can be scary for a child, between making new friends, keeping up on schoolwork, and maybe even starting a new school. Likewise, transitioning between two households can be hard. What can help is having consistency in the child’s life. One good way to do this is setting a routine that the child follows at both households, such as the time they wake up for school or do their homework. Having set rules that extend past one household can help as well, like having to finish schoolwork before TV time or always eating dinner together at the table.
Review the calendar
Between classes, extracurriculars, sports, or anything else on your child’s schedule, it is easy to lose track of it all. In addition, when you are divorced or separated, there can be confusion over which parent is attending the event, who is responsible for getting the child there, paying for it, etc. Sitting down and reviewing your child’s schedule with the other parent before the school year begins is a great way to ensure a solid plan and to alleviate future stresses. You may even want to utilize a shared online calendar such as Google Calendars to make sure everyone is on the same page, to avoid confusion or conflict.
The Unexpected
Unfortunately, like everything in life, things do not always go according to plan. Some things you just cannot prepare for: extra expenses pop up, children get sick and need last-minute childcare, things get lost or broken. These already tough situations do not need to be made worse by a lack of communication between you and your child’s other parent. While you may not know what the solution is, having a strong and clear method of communication will help rectify these situations in an efficient manner. In the end, keeping your child at the forefront of all your decisions and making it as easy and stress-free for them as possible is the most important thing.
