Back-to-school season is always a hectic, stressful time for parents. If this is your first one since your separation or divorce, it will likely take some coordination and communication to help avoid issues for you and your co-parent – and especially for your child.
Every family’s situation is unique. However, here are a few things that you’ll likely need to address.
How will expenses be split?
If you haven’t worked out your child support agreement yet (or maybe even if you have), you’ll need to determine how expenses like tuition, uniforms or back-to-school clothes, school supplies, bus passes, lunch payments, sports and/or musical equipment and more will be covered. It’s critical for you and your co-parent to work that out, even if you coordinate it through a parenting app, so that your child doesn’t have to worry about it.
Do you have the same rules and expectations across homes?
If your child hasn’t been living in two homes for long or if they’re going into a new school (say from middle school into high school), it’s important to set consistent expectations around homework, bedtimes, screen time and more so that your child knows their parents are equally prioritizing their education.
Are the appropriate people at school aware of your new family structure?
Assuming that you’re more or less equally co-parenting your child, their school should have both sets of contact information so no one is left out of notifications, grades and other information. It’s typically best when parents can participate in parent-teacher conferences, school events and things like taking a turn at chaperoning field trips.
Whether you need to codify some of these things ahead of finalizing your parenting plan with your divorce or you find that you need to modify the plan you already have – perhaps as your child enters a new phase of their education and/or a new school — it’s wise to do so with legal guidance.