COVID-19 and Co-Parenting

This year, I have offered two Changing Families groups, one for 4th graders - a continuation from last year - and a second for 5th and 6th graders. The purpose of these groups is to provide students with a place to meet, share their experiences and support each other as they face the challenges of having divorced or separated parents. These groups have continued and we are meeting through Google Meet. While not ideal, it has allowed us to continue these important connections.

I recently polled participants to get a sense of their experiences with distance learning, social distancing, etc. I wondered if their experiences would be more difficult, less difficult or the same when compared to students from intact families. The vast majority felt that it was harder for them. They talked about the challenges of moving between homes, dealing with parental arguments and contrasting parenting styles, all of which is made more difficult by the stress of the pandemic. With this in mind, I did a little research and found the following resources:

• Co-Parenting During Coronavirus: 7 Guidelines to Help Divorced Parents (Fatherly.com)
• Juggling Child Custody & Visitation During the Covid-19 'Stay at Home' Order (VPR)
• Quarantines and Custody Agreements (Today.com)