The start of a new school year brings up a wide variety of feelings for both children and their parents. When a family is navigating a divorce, there are even more feelings and practical concerns that must be acknowledged to ensure a smooth transition from summertime to the academic year for children and parents. Divorcing families may find the following information helpful as they begin the school year:

It is often the case that any routines that a family has in place at the beginning of a summer slip out of the picture by the time that it is time to return to school. The start of the school year is a crucial time to reestablish routines because a lot of things happen in the family’s life each day. Routines provide a blueprint for navigating all of those things. Divorcing parents often find that when they have similar routines in their separate households, the entire family thrives. Whether the two of you communicate well or not, the subject of household and school day routines is something that if you make an effort to work together, everyone’s life will run more smoothly, and each of you will be better able to focus on enjoying your children and supporting them in school and life. At the most basic level, compare notes on household routines and make sure that they are similar enough that they do not clash. They do not have to be the same, but, for example, if there is screen time after dinner in one household but not in the other, there is potential for conflict which could be avoided by simply having routines that are more similar. Also, be sure that the kids know what to expect from each parent (and what each parent expects of them) on school days and weekends.

Whether your children are attending the same school that they were last year or a different school, it is important for each parent to be familiar with each child’s school and their new teachers. Teachers are best able to serve the children in their classrooms when they know both the child and their parents. They also benefit from knowing basic information about what has been going on lately in your family. If you are the parent who has primary legal rights and responsibilities for your children, make sure that your children’s school, teachers, doctors, coaches, and anyone else that your kids spend time with knows that they are to share information about your children freely with your children’s other parent. It is the right thing to do, and it will also save you the work of having to make copies, send messages, and make phone calls to share the information yourself. Also, it is important that parents understand that most children wish that both parents could be there to see them perform, play sports, or do whatever it is that they are doing at the event. This does not mean that the two of you have to sit together, but consider making an agreement with your children’s other parent that both of you can attend all of their school events.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – Divorce Support for Texas Families

Learn more about Texas divorce today – call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499.