Welcome back. We’ve been talking about how difficult it can be to parent your kids when all you have is a few court-ordered hours each week. As we mentioned in the previous article, there are options available to you if you want more time with your kids. You don’t have to just accept whatever parenting crumbs get swept off your ex’s table without a fight. But your time with your child shouldn’t be about that battle. When you’re with your kids, that time is sacred and they need to feel that they’re the most important thing in your universe during that time. And here’s how you achieve that…
Ways to make the most of the parenting time you get with your kids:
Deal with ‘ex issues’ another time.
If you and your ex can’t see eye to eye on parenting issues, or anything else for that matter, don’t use your pick up and drop times to address your complaints. We’re not saying those things aren’t important, or that they shouldn’t be addressed, but not when you’re with your kids. Not only does an argument with your ex eat into the limited time you have with your children, but it’s also likely to put you in a bad mood. And as you can imagine, that won’t help make the time you get with your children more enjoyable for you or for them, if you start it off mad.
Be sincere in your interactions with your kids.
Kids can smell a ‘phoney’. If you’re pretending to be something or someone you’re not, they’ll figure it out eventually and it will only diminish their respect for you. So be as real as possible when you’re with your kids. Be honest with them about your feelings and thoughts, and provide a safe space for them to be authentic with you. You may not have much time together but if you want to build a real and meaningful relationship with your child during the time you have, one of the most important things you could do is be real with them, and let them be real with you.
Know your rights and exercise them!
We believe that all parents should familiarize themselves with their rights as a parent, which gives you the ability to be a part of your child’s life in as many ways. For example, if you have a right to overnights, use them! If you’re allowed to attend your child’s after school sports games and parent teacher meetings, then show up to as many as you can. Are you allowed access to your child’s medical records? Get copies and read them thoroughly. School records? Ditto. The more you make use of the rights allowed to you, the more you’ll be involved in your child’s life. Don’t allow opportunities for involvement to slip away because you didn’t know they existed. Make every opportunity count.
Are you hoping for more parenting time with your kids?
Being a parent is both a great responsibility and a great joy – so make the most of whatever time you have with your children because once it’s gone you can never get it back. If you want to modify your custody agreement to include more time, however, or have questions about your parenting time rights, call The Kronzek Firm at 866 766 5245. Our skilled family law attorneys are available 24/7 to help you figure this out, and ensure that your parenting time agreement is as fair as possible.