4 Ways to Maximize Your Time With Your Child After a Divorce
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While a divorce can take a toll on adults, its impact on children can be quite far-reaching. This is why in such a case, you need to do your best to ensure that your child feels loved and accepted so that they don’t suffer needlessly at an emotional level. One of the things that you can do towards this is to maximize the time that you spend with them after a divorce. This can help you maintain the bond that you had as a family and not disrupt the stability to which your child was used too significantly.
1. Obey the Court Orders
To start with, you need to adhere to the court orders that you were served concerning co-parenting. This means that you should be accommodating of your former spouse as far as matters to do with your child go. To this end, don’t refuse to let them spend time with the child if you have full custody, and if you’re not, be on time to pick up your child when you say you’re going to do so.
Doing this is going to ensure that the court doesn’t revoke your privileges or introduce stipulations that will make it hard for you to spend ample time with your child. Remember that in divorce cases, children will spend an average of 277 days in a year with the custodial parent. This should give you an idea of how the time will be split between each of you and make it possible to plan well.
2. Make Your Child Support Payments on Time
If you’re asked to pay child support, do your best to make these payments in time. This will ensure that your child doesn’t undergo any disruptions that could have been prevented by a timely payment. This could be something like taking part in swimming, either for fun or as a sport. In the United States, this is the fifth most popular activity, according to Comfy Living. Making it hard for your child to take part in activities that they enjoy can introduce unnecessary strife that will strain the relationship that you have with the other parent as well as your child.
3. Be Present When You’re with Your Child
To make sure that you’re actually spending valuable time with your child, make an effort to be present. For instance, actively talk to them and listen to their responses as opposed to scrolling endlessly on your social media while you’re with them. Staying glued to your phone when you’re supposed to be spending time with them will show them that you’d rather be elsewhere and don’t really value their presence.
Note that about 80% of people in the world have access to technology. This has increased in the last decade mostly due to urbanization, according to Shrink That Footprint. Clearly, it’s easy enough to access the internet no matter where you go, but you need to make the effort to disconnect while you’re with your child so they get your undivided attention.
4. Avoid Disputes with Your Former Partner
Last but not least, it’s not in anyone’s best interests to have disputes with your child’s other parent. While you may have your disagreements, your child doesn’t have to be a part of them. This calls for you to be as diplomatic as possible whenever you’re in the presence of your child so that they don’t have to experience a lot of mental issues.
With these four methods, you can maximize the time that you spend with your child after a divorce. Keep in mind that it may be hard to do at the beginning of the relationship, but with some effort, it will become easier to do. Stay consistent so that you can be a dependable parent against all odds.
