Ending a marriage will always be difficult, particularly when there are children involved. Although many Texas parents agree that co-parenting will be most beneficial for the children, post-divorce resentment and contention between some parents may make it tough to co-parent effectively. However, with fast-moving technology and the ever-increasing number of applications becoming available for smartphones and other devices, face to face contact may be entirely avoided
Navigating day-to-day parenting requires constant management, and the potential for high-conflict situations to arise is ever present. One of the most useful apps for divorced parents is a calendar that can be shared between the two households to keep all parties concerned current on events, arrangements and more. There is even a useful tool — called Chore Monster — to help motivate children to do their chores by turning the traditional chore chart into an electronic system that allocates points that can be monitored by parents.
Children typically rely on their parents to ensure that things run smoothly, and some apps can help parents to manage all aspects with little or no face-to-face communication. Our Family Wizard is an example of an app that can make life a whole lot easier for divorced parents. It gives parents the ability to manage custody and parenting calendars and record and monitor expenses, as well as offering messaging. A group of mothers has even created a rideshare app that can provide safe, reliable transport if a parent is in a bind.
While Texas parents will have the help of all these apps after the divorce, many decisions about child custody, parenting and visitation will have to be negotiated before the divorce is finalized, and, unfortunately, this cannot be done with apps. In cases in which communication is a problem, experienced family law attorneys may be able to help. If necessary, a lawyer can arrange the services of a divorce mediator to facilitate negotiations related to parenting and other contentious issues.
Source: parentherald.com, “Co-Parenting Technology: 5 Useful Apps For Divorced Parents”, Kristine Walker, May 4, 2016
