Parents often want to spend as much time with their children as they can. When they’re divorced, parents often don’t have as much time with the kids as they did before. For this reason, they might be tempted to have their visitation days no matter what’s going on.
One thing parents need to remember is that they have to put the child’s best interests first. This could mean having to put off a visit if the parent or the child is sick with a contagious illness. Fortunately, they have an option to stay in contact with their children if they can’t have an in-person visit.
Family law recognizes the importance of being able to have virtual visits. You can have the terms of an online visit put into your parenting plan. This means that you’ll be able to use things like video chats to stay in contact with the children.
There are several things that parents need to remember about these visits. For example:
- The visits should be uncensored by the other parent or others so the parent and children can speak freely.
- The visits should take place a time that’s suitable for the children, even if it isn’t convenient for the parent.
- The visits can include different activities, such as help with homework, talking, reading books, or playing games.
- The visits are meant to bridge the time between in-person visits — not to replace them.
Having the terms of the virtual visits in the parenting plan can help to ensure that everyone is on the same page about them. This also gives both parents something in writing to review if there are ever any questions about what should happen.