Lessen your stress load with these child custody tips

Divorce has a way of bringing extreme levels of stress into your life. This is even more the case if you have questions and concerns about child custody, such as when you’ll get to spend time with your children throughout the year.

Regardless of what’s happened in the past, there are some child custody tips you can follow in the future to prevent trouble. There’s no way of knowing how the other parent will react, but here are five tips to experiment with:

• Effective communication is essential: Don’t assume you can get through the year without communicating with your ex-spouse. You don’t have to talk about anything personal, but you must stay in touch in regard to parenting time and other key details. You can do this over the phone, via email or text messages or in person. Find the best way to communicate and use it to your advantage.
• Plan in advance: If you wait until the last minute to make parenting plans, there’s a greater chance you’ll run into trouble. Planning in advance is one of the best ways to keep everyone on the same page.
• Cooperate with the other parent: Even though you may have plans in mind, such as a vacation, it doesn’t mean you can proceed without discussing things with the other parent. When you both cooperate, it’s much easier for everyone to get what they want.
• Be flexible: It’s not always easy to do this, especially if you don’t have a good relationship with your ex-spouse. However, when you remain flexible, such as the times at which you drop off and pick up your children, it has a way of reducing stress.
• Talk about problem areas: This can be a big sticking point, as you may take one approach to a problem while the other parent has a different angle. When you discuss problem areas, you’ll always know what the other person is thinking.

These child custody tips can help you avoid trouble, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

If the other parent continues to fight you on everything imaginable, perhaps even ignoring the parenting agreement, you should learn more about your legal rights. You may have to take legal action to get everything back on track, but it’s better than doing nothing and hoping for the best.