Tips For Helping Your Child Transition Between Homes After Divorce

This year, Florida legislators passed a new law that creates a presumption of 50/50 time-sharing in child custody cases. It is only when one parent is able to rebut this presumption that a court can order a different division of parenting time. With a more equal time-sharing arrangement, however, can come with confusion when it comes to helping a child transition between homes. Whether this is done every weekend or every other week, it can be challenging for children to settle in and adapt to a new living arrangement in this amount of time. Fortunately, there are steps that parents can take to make this transition easier on their children. Read on to learn more.

Communicate with Your Child 

One of the best ways to help your child smoothly transition between visits with you and your co-parent is to focus on communication. Feel free to discuss how difficult it can be to go back and forth between homes and be sure to ask them if there is anything you or your co-parent can do to make that transition easier.

Create Rituals 

Another thing that can help your child adjust to a new living situation is to create rituals. Many children, for instance, need time to settle in when they arrive, others may want a snack, and some may want some alone time. Giving children space at this point can be helpful, as many require some “settling in” time when coming from a co-parent’s home. It’s also a good idea to avoid asking how their time with the other parent was right off the bat. Instead, try to let this information emerge naturally, so that the children don’t feel as though they are being interrogated.

Schedule Hand-Offs Carefully 

Many parents also find it helpful to meet outside when making hand-offs for visitation. You could meet at a certain restaurant, at a park, or at your child’s school; whatever you choose, being able to re-enter your home at the same time as your child can help provide a sense of stability. You and your co-parent may also want to try and schedule a hand-off earlier in the day, so that there is plenty of time to settle in before having to go to bed. Leaving this until later in the day can end up causing a feeling of dislocation and can even affect whether or not a child gets a good night’s sleep.

Schedule a Free Case Review Today 

Making the transition of living in two different homes can be difficult for children following a divorce. There are, however, ways that parents can make this process easier on the child, many of which involve scheduling and can be included in the family’s parenting plan. For help coming up with an arrangement that is in your child’s best interests, please call dedicated Florida child visitation and time-sharing lawyer Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. today. You can set up a free consultation by calling our office at 954-945-7591 or by reaching out to us through an online message.

Sources: 

flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1301/Analyses/h1301z1.CJS.PDF

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.13.html