Handover days can be some of the most difficult dates on the calendar for children and parents alike. The children may be sad about leaving one parent but pleased to see the other.
A parent may be sad about letting their child go and not too keen about coming face to face with their ex. They will also have to ensure their child has everything they need. The following tips may serve you if you are struggling with handovers:
1. Two sets of things
The less your child has to transport between houses the less needs packing and the lower the chances of forgetting something. Duplicating certain items with one set in each household can go some way to easing this issue.
2. Careful scheduling
Where is the best place and what is the best time to schedule a handover? Some opt for a neutral public venue. These prevent you from encroaching on each other’s spaces and can be especially useful if one parent is prone to mistreat the other. However, they might not be such a good idea if one parent is always late as the waiting parent and children will be unable to do anything until the other parent shows up. If they had waited in the house, they could have got on with other stuff and waited more comfortably.
Avoid scheduling around tight deadlines. Even if a parent is usually on time, traffic could delay things making one or all of the parties late for things such as work and school. An evening pick-up, when no one has anywhere to go afterward can remove the stress if delays occur.
3. Use stand-ins and support people
Maybe you could ask your dad to pick the kids up to avoid having to see a difficult ex face to face. Or perhaps you could schedule handovers around coffee with a friend, so you have moral support and something to do while you wait.
Considering how you will manage handovers is just one of the things to consider when making your parenting plan. Seeking guidance to learn more is a sensible move.