The Divorce Attorney Journal

Co-parenting is not always easy. Whether you’re newly divorced parents or you’ve been split for years, the shuffling of kids from one household to another and managing their needs along with your preferences can feel like a labyrinth. Anything that can simplify how you and your ex co-parent while managing your kids will make life easier, especially as a new school year begins.

When You Don’t Want to Talk to Your Ex

If your divorce has not been amicable, the last thing you want to do is exchange words with your ex once a week and every weekend, depending on your parenting time arrangement. Determining who will be at school events, who handles well visits, who deals with anything that comes up, requires clear communication. An app like 2houses makes it possible to set a shared schedule, limit mix-ups, and commit to activities and appointments without asking the kids to relay messages across two households.

• Share a custody calendar.
• Share school and medical information.
• Receive alerts so you don’t miss important dates.
• Message in a secure environment.

When Money Is the Issue

If you are in the co-parenting realm except where expenses are a concern, one of the best ways to ensure that you’re not the only half taking on a financial burden is to use a shared expense-tracking app.

Onward is for divorced parents who want an easy way to identify how much each party owes for, say, a dental visit, school supplies, sports equipment, violin lessons, and more. You can:

• Propose future expenses.
• Upload receipts for a paper trail.
• Keep track of a balance.
• View monthly spending by child or category.
• Use a third-party tool like Venmo.

Discuss money with your ex in a straightforward way without having to do it face-to-face, start an argument, or nag.

When More Than Just Your Ex Helps with Parenting

It takes a village to raise a child, like grandparents, sitters, or neighbors who pick up or drop off your child. Through an app like Cozi, users are color-coded to deliver info about events tied to those individual people. All the info doesn’t have to be disseminated to all people but:

• Reminders can be set for certain users and only relevant parties are notified of events, cancellations, additions, or new pick-up times.
• To-do lists are created for household chores at both households.
• Homework updates can be input so all caregivers are on the same page.
• Shopping lists are created so both parents can purchase needed items and mark off acquisitions.

It’s a family organizer, even if your family doesn’t live under the same household together anymore.

Parenting Time Apps for Divorced Parents

It’s worth it for divorced parents to test out several co-parenting apps until you find the platform that works best for your new family unit. You might not live under one roof anymore, but your children still need you to do whatever you can to make their school year as seamless as possible – they have enough to worry about on their own.

Work with your Michigan divorce lawyer from Femminineo Attorneys to get help with your divorce or get started on a split as the school year begins. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.