Sometimes the hardest part of a divorce is figuring out joint shared child custody. For a child, swapping between two families and two homes can become a difficult juggling act. Here are a few tips to make the transition for your kids a little easier.
One Family, One Divorce, Two Houses
If it’s financially feasible, it might help to get doubles of certain essentials. This will help with the “having to pack” every weekend or week. Here are some of those essentials:
- Cell Phone Charger
- Computer Charger/iPod charger
- Underwear, socks, boxers, bras
- Jeans
- “Nice” shoes and clothes
- Running Shoes
- Two sets of textbooks
- School supplies
- toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, razors, face wash, soap, lotion, etc…
Weekly Needs
As an adult, it’s hard to remember what you might need for a week, and for the events of the week. So you can imagine this might be even harder for a child who is going from school to dance class to basketball practice to a study group. Having a spot designated for a child to keep their “weekly things” will help. This might include the following:
- Gym bag
- Permission slips for trips
- Cell phone
- Textbooks
- Laptop
Let People Know
While it can be hard to tell people about your divorce, this lack of informing teachers/coaches/tutors can be harder on children who have to constantly explain the situation. Examples include asking for tickets to the school play: “I need four tickets, instead of two.” Taking this burden on yourself will help kids not feel as burdened by having to constantly explain why they might have forgotten cupcakes for the class party.
No matter what, making an effort to make a difficult situation easier will help kids adjust to having two homes and a new way of life.
Source: WomansDivorce.com, Shared Parenting Suggestions, 2014