You can reduce conflict during the stress of back-to-school time

Summer can be a fun time for Utah families, but at some point, this season will end and it will be time to start preparing for the beginning of another school year. Back-to-school time can be stressful for some, with expensive clothes to buy, school fees to pay and school supplies to shop for. In some cases, this significantly increases conflict and disputes between parents.

Child custody is one of the most sensitive and complicated aspects of a divorce. The issues and hard feelings between parents do not disappear simply because the process is final. In high-stress times, such as during back-to-school, it can be especially difficult for parents to work together. There are steps that you can take during your divorce and after it is final to lower your chance of disputes in the future.

Helpful hints for families

No matter how parents feel about each other, at the end of the day, they want to protect the best interests of their children and do what is best for them. They can do this by setting their own feelings aside and keeping their focus on what matters – the security and well-being of the children. There are a few ways that you and your spouse can lower your chance of a conflict when it’s time to head back to school with the following tips:

• Work together to share the costs of back-to-school supplies and other expenses.
• Strive to communicate about important dates, even using apps and other tools to accomplish this.
• For some kids, it’s important for parents to drop them off together at the first day of school, but if that’s not possible, it’s nice if parents share pictures with each other.
• Parents can also inform the teacher of their family situation and explain the best way to communicate with them.

These are only a few examples of the many ways you can reduce stress for yourself, the other parent and even your children. You and your spouse do not have to get along to parent well together, even during times of transition, such as the back-to-school season.

You will find it beneficial to consider including some of these provisions in your parenting plan during the divorce process. The more clear and thorough your plan is, the less likely you will find yourself engaging in disputes over child custody and parenting issues. If you want to focus on peaceful post-divorce parenting, it will require a willingness to cooperate from both parents.