As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many co-parents have had to adjust their parenting plans due to quarantine. One of the toughest parts of quarantine co-parenting is staying in touch with your kids. While it may be hard to not see them in person, you can still connect with them in other ways…
Quarantine Co-Parenting: Communication Methods
Text & phone calls
The easiest way to do some quarantine co-parenting and contact your kids is through text or phone calls. If you kids are old enough, then they probably have their own cell phones. That means you’ll be able to give them a call or text them whenever you feel like. This is great for keeping up to date on what they’re doing and how they are.
If your kids are a bit younger, then it might be good to have your ex act as a go-between. For instance, you can see about setting up a time when you call them to talk to your kids. It’s especially good for younger kids to see and hear from both parents, especially given how the uncertainty of things may frighten them.
Video calls
Another way of quarantine co-parenting is through video calls. These are a bit of a step up from simply calling or texting. Having face-to-face contact adds something extra which is lost through other methods. Plus, it also encourages you to have more in-depth conversations.
Usually, video calls are something you’ll want to schedule in advance. That way, you and your kids can ensure you won’t have to be on a time crunch because you have other things to do. Still, if they have cell phones, you can do video calls from them. These can be a nice middle ground for some more informal calls.
Online/streaming methods
Another unique way to do some quarantine co-parenting is by doing something digitally with your kids. These days, everyone tends to use some kind of streaming service. Therefore, why not try and have a movie night with your kids where you watch something together? You can set up a video call, and then both watch something either on the computer, or through streaming apps on your T.V.’s.
Plus, you can also think about video games as well. Older kids especially may be into video games, which could have co-op or multiplayer features. That way, not only do you stay connected, but you also get to play something that they enjoy together with them.
