If you have a shared parenting arrangement, your kids probably live in two separate households. When your scheduled parenting time is coming to an end, you must prepare your kids to move temporarily to their other parent’s residence.
As you probably know, custody transfers can be chaotic. According to Psychology Today, they also can be contentious. To ensure your hand-off goes as smoothly as possible, you should pack everything your kids are likely to need when they are with your co-parent.
A packing list for your kids
It probably makes sense to keep a custody transfer packing list on your refrigerator or in your day planner. This is because your kids are likely to need to take many of the same items with them every time they change households.
These items may include one or more of the following:
- Clothing
- Homework
- Medication
- Toys, including support objects
- Electronics
A packing list for you
Once your kids have packed for custody transfers, you have some work to do. While not technically packing, you must prepare yourself mentally for the custody exchange. Simply having a good attitude can help to reduce conflict.
Still, good intentions and efforts do not always work out. If you think your co-parent may behave inappropriately or even violently during your custody transfers, you should always have your smartphone with you.
Not only does your phone allow you to make emergency calls, but it can also help you capture photographic or video evidence of your co-parent’s behavior. Ultimately, though, until your co-parent does something wrong, it may not hurt to give him or her the benefit of the doubt.
