Co-parents must move away from their child and custodial parent for many different reasons, ranging from active military duty to taking care of sick, elderly or injured relatives.
In these situations, the co-parent who moves might wonder whether or not it is possible to maintain co-parenting even from a distance. Fortunately, it is possible, and many people make it work every year.
Sticking to a set schedule
Onward discusses the best ways to co-parent at a distance. Of course, co-parenting at a distance still puts the child at the center of everyone’s priority, as should remain the case no matter how far away any co-parent lives.
To this end, co-parents who move away should prioritize staying a stable presence in their child’s life, even if they cannot contact them every single day and cannot see them in person often.
For example, set up a call schedule that works for everyone involved and stick to it. This shows the child that they can rely on their co-parent to remain present and to follow up on what they say they will do, even if they cannot spend direct time together for now.
Maintain comfortable contact
Make sure to take the child’s comfort levels and needs into consideration, too. Some children want more contact, while others may feel overwhelmed or even smothered if a co-parent tries to call or message them too many times through the day or week.
Also, maximize the quality of time spent together. Though the quantity of time together diminishes, it is still possible to make every moment count. These are the best ways to maintain this bond through a somewhat difficult time and period of distance.
