The virus has affected almost every single aspect of our lives, forcing millions of humans to observe social distancing and avoid seeing their loved ones just to stay safe.
In this scenario, what most divorced parents are stressed out about is the issue of ‘how to make joint custody work?’.
You may be worried about your co-parenting plan being disrupted, the visiting times not being followed, and also the fear of your child contracting COVID-19 from frequent travels to their other parent’s house (even worse if your ex-partner isn’t taking the necessary precautionary measures).
However, social distancing does not mean that you need to keep your child away from the other parent. Also, considering the current state of distress and disrupted routines, not being able to meet a parent can have an adverse effect on children’s mental health.
How to Keep it Together in the Course of Current Pandemic?
As a parent, what you really need to understand is how the ‘Stay at Home Order’ is affecting your child’s mental health. In a sense, not being able to go to school and meet friends can cause feelings of anxiety and depression, so it’s best to try and maintain a sense of normality within the household to help ease your child’s mind.
In the case of shared custody between divorced parents, when the parents don’t live together anymore, it’s important to follow your co-parenting plan unless a parent isn’t self-isolating properly or has been tested positive for coronavirus.
In such a case, the existing parenting arrangement should be re-considered through mutual understanding, and the healthy parent can look after the child while allowing the self-isolating partner to maintain communication through video chats.
On the whole, co-parenting requires mutual involvement with continued collaboration and your child should be your top priority during the current crisis. So, stay child focused and continue abiding by the court orders for the betterment of your children.