Adapting Your Parenting Plan For COVID-19

With summer coming to an end and the beginning of school on the horizon, many parents are still struggling to adapt to the realities of co-parenting during a global pandemic. Adapting your parenting plan to work around the difficulties created by COVID-19 is not an easy task, but there are a handful of things you can do to make it a little easier.
 

Review Your Current Parenting Plan

If you and your ex haven’t looked at your parenting plan in awhile, now is a good time to check in with each other and review your current agreement. Rarely does a parenting plan go exactly the way both parents think it will, which is perfectly normal.

During your review, ask yourselves if any big changes (other than the pandemic) have occurred since you first made the plan. For example:

• Has either parent moved to a new location?
• Have either of you changed jobs or had a change in work schedules?
• Have your children’s school and/or social schedules changed?

If either you or your ex are now working from home, that’s a change worth taking into account and may affect how you modify your parenting plan.

Adapt Your Plan For COVID-19

Once you’ve reviewed your existing plan, you’ll need to discuss what changes you both want to make to adapt for the conditions created by the pandemic. Start by being honest about what your concerns are, and how you would like to try and mitigate them.

For example, if you or your ex works in a high-risk profession (healthcare, retail, food service, etc), you’ll need to figure out how to protect yourselves and your children from getting infected. This may require some sacrifices on both sides, but always remember that your goal is to create the safest environment for your kids as possible.

Other pandemic-related issues to discuss include things like:

• Limiting exposure to friends and relatives
• Making sure your children have and wear masks in public
• Practicing safe social distancing when dropping off and picking up your kids
• Deciding which activities are safe and which are not

Both your and your ex need to agree on as many points as possible to make sure everyone is kept safe. If one parent neglects to protect themselves (or your children), it puts everyone at risk of getting infected.
 

What Happens If There’s A Disagreement?

Even with an agreed-upon parenting plan in place, some parents still run into conflicts that can’t be resolved through discussion.

If there is a parenting disagreement between you and your ex that can’t be resolved by referring to your parenting plan, then you should consult with an experienced family law attorney to discuss all of your options under the law.

For more information, or to get help with your child custody issues, please contact our office today.