Parents in Virginia who have gone through a divorce may want to try to keep the matter as stress-free as possible for their children. In an effort to try to put their children’s needs first, they may attempt co-parenting with regards to child custody and parenting time. Through co-parenting, parents will generally make decisions regarding their child’s care together, and they may both play an active role in the upbringing of their child, for example, by attending important events with the child together.
However, co-parenting can have its challenges, especially if parents have a tough time communicating with one another after their divorce. However, a new app — coParenter — aims to help parents address child custody and parenting time issues before they become problems. Through the app, parents can coordinate their calendars with one another and “check in” at locations where they are picking up or dropping off children for their respective parenting time periods. The app also allows parents to exchange messages with one another that cannot later be edited, and it gives parents access to child support expense forms and legal documents.
Moreover, the app can filter language used by the parties. The hope is that this will keep conflicts at bay. And, if a conflict does arise, the app allows parents to get in touch with a professional mediator so that they can resolve their differences out-of-court. Ongoing conflict between divorced parents can create undue stress not just on parents, but on their children as well. If these conflicts can be abated through technological means, it could make co-parenting easier.
Of course, even with this app conflicts could still arise that necessitate going to court. Those who are experiencing co-parenting difficulties and want to change their child custody or parenting time orders may be able to ask the court for a binding modification of such orders. If parents chose to go this route in resolving their child custody disputes, they may want to make sure they understand how the law applies to the facts of their situation before proceeding.