Shared parenting allows both parents to keep enjoying the small as well as important moments in their child’s life even after they are no longer together. However, they must communicate, plan and adapt their parenting schedule. As families in Texas prepare for the new school year, parents should set up their new schedule.
Establishing rules and routines
Summer is often about freedom and taking it easy. This means that many of the set rules and routines parents had established the previous school year have been relaxed or even forgotten. However, as the new school year approaches, parents should communicate to establish the rules and routines that children will follow in both households. These could include:
- Bedtime hours
- Study and homework times
- Chores and responsibilities
- Academic expectations
Discussing transportation and other school-related topics
Part of preparing your new parenting schedule for the school year should include a discussion on the transportation that will be used to take the children to and from school and extra-curricular activities. Both parents should also have copies of the children’s bus routes or carpooling schedules so that there are no conflicts later due to miscommunication. Parents should also come to an agreement on school snacks and lunches, such as creating a balanced, healthy diet for the kids and deciding if kids will be taking their lunches, buying them or doing a mixture of the two.
Agreeing on school expenses
The new school year also means new school supplies and new extra-curricular activities. Parents should establish a budget for these expenses that they are both comfortable with and decide how they will split paying for these additional expenses.
The basis of effective co-parenting is open, amicable communication. For this reason, parents should also establish the communication channels they want to use during the school year as well as how often they will communicate, particularly during special events, if one parent cannot be physically present.