Modern times are often referred to as “The Digital Age” with good reason. Most American adults experience an increasingly consequential portion of their lives online. It is, therefore, perhaps not surprising that many kids are too.
There are undoubtedly drawbacks to spending too much of one’s time in front of a screen. But, for kids and parents who are navigating a co-parenting arrangement, communication-driven screen time can mean the difference between a substantial ongoing relationship and great emotional distance from one another. As such, more and more parents are opting to integrate virtual visitation terms into their parenting plans.
Virtual visitation is a modified parenting time arrangement that utilizes technology such as video calls, instant messaging and social media to facilitate communication between parents and children when they are not physically together. Integrating virtual visitation into a family’s parenting plan can enhance relationships, promote stability and better ensure that both parents remain actively involved in their children’s lives.
Embracing virtual visitation
Virtual visitation allows for regular, even daily, interactions between parents and their kids. This consistent contact can help to facilitate a strong bond between parents and children, making any physical distance less impactful. Regular video chats, for instance, can enable parents to participate in daily routines such as bedtime stories, homework help or just chatting about everyone’s day.
Virtual tools can also empower parents to be part of important events they might otherwise miss, such as school plays, sports events, birthdays and other milestones. Being able to watch these events live or through recorded videos can make a big difference in how involved a parent feels in their child’s upbringing (and how the child perceives their parent’s presence in their life).
With all of this being said, it is important to be thoughtful about how co-parents approach this subject, as unclear expectations can lead to unnecessary stress. The last thing that anyone wants is to have an effort aimed at bringing people together to repel them apart. Therefore, seeking personalized guidance about the best ways to help make this vision a reality can prove to be helpful.