You and your spouse always helped your child with their studies. You oversaw the completion of homework, went to meetings with teachers and encouraged your child to aim for academic excellence.
Now that you are divorced, however, how do you both remain involved in your youngster’s education? This issue should be a top priority for you, now that the school year is about to begin. Although your marriage ended, your child still needs both parents to be fully involved in this crucial aspect of their life.
Your child needs their parents’ emotional support to feel secure
Your youngster will have to get acquainted with a new teacher and classmates when school resumes this fall. They also have to come to terms with your divorce. The faster you and your ex learn to deal with your parenting responsibilities regarding your child’s education, the faster they will accept all the recent changes in their life.
Start with a few important fundamentals like these:
- Work out an arrangement about which of you will sign permission forms so your child can participate in field trips.
- Be clear and firm with your youngster about your standards for grades, attendance and homework.
- Each of you can create a comfortable space at your home for studying, doing assignments and projects and storing school supplies.
- Maybe it’s too awkward for you to be at parent-teacher nights together. Set up separate appointments to talk about your child’s academic progress or problems.
- Each co-parent should send their child to school every day with either a healthy lunch or provide adequate lunch money.
Your child benefits when both of you work together
Hopefully, you and your ex both have your child’s best interests at heart. You can each pitch in to make sure their school year is successful and productive. If your ex balks or creates roadblocks, think about having someone experienced get involved to help improve your situation.