Are you a weekend parent? Ultimately, it’s possible that your partner is the main care provider for your child due to your relationship ending. This means that you will likely only see your child at the weekends, some evenings or in the holidays. The reason for this is that courts don’t tend to provide equal custody unless you live close enough for the child to go to the same school while they are with you. This can be restricting because it limits how far away you can move from your partner and you probably don’t want to be close to someone that you have split from.
Keep Things Amicable
First, you need to make sure that you work to keep things amicable between you and your partner. It’s important to ensure that your child doesn’t feel as though they are entering a battle ground when they see you or that they have to choose a side. This should start from the beginning because rather than heading to court for a divorce you can explore an option like family mediation. This will put far less of a strain on the relationship your child has with you and your partner.
Make Your Time Together Count
Next, you should think about the time that you spend together when they are in your care or at your house. It’s important that you make the time, however limited, count. This might mean that you should avoid going on your phone or another tech device when you are with your kids. It doesn't matter what you do as long as you are spending time that is focused on them or the both of you.
Use The Tech At Your Fingertips
It’s important to use the tech at your fingertips when you are a weekend parent. You won’t always be able to see your child in person as often as you like. But there’s no limit on how often you can call them or speak to them. If you are comfortable with your former partner, then you can likely speak to them every day. That’s important as it ensures that you are a more active part of their life. It might seem unnecessary to ring them every day as very little is going to change in 24 hours. However, you can ask them about their day, make sure you keep up with their interests and be there if anything is wrong.
Plan Activities
Finally, you should think about planning out activities that you can enjoy together when your child is over or you are visiting. This will stop you from doing nothing for two days which can be dull for you and your child. Instead, you should think about engaging in lots of different activities. This could include everything from bowling to other sports or simple planning a movie night in the house.
You might think that if you are only seeing your child on weekends or in the holidays then it could impact your relationship. The good news is that there are steps that you can take to guarantee this won’t happen. Here are some of the options we recommend.