If are unable to visit with your children regularly, technology such as video conferencing can help you keep in touch in ways that parents never considered in the past. It is important, however, to keep in mind how your child can best benefit from video conferencing:
Infants and toddlers: Surprisingly, infants and toddlers can build bonds with noncustodial parents through video conferencing. While parents cannot have conversations with infants and toddlers as they would with older children, they can interact with smiles, laughs and games like peek-a-boo. Reading short books can also be fun for parent and child. More than with any other age group, parents must work together to facilitate video conferencing and be flexible. Video conferences will likely be short but should be frequent. As the child ages and his or her schedule changes, the video conferencing schedule will change. Also, since infants and toddlers cannot be left alone with the technology required for video conferencing, the custodial parent or a substitute will have to be available to expedite the communication.
School-aged children: As children grow, more and more activities can be added to their video conference time with noncustodial parents. The schedule should be consistent, so that the child can count on it. The noncustodial parent should have activities ready to share with their child, but the activities do not have to be fancy. As when parents and children and together in person, they can read, work on homework, play games, watch videos, color and create stories. If the child grows restless, he or she should not be made to feel guilty for not wanting to continue to video conference. Children should look forward to video conferencing with their parents.
Teens: Modern teens are usually more knowledgeable about technology than their parents and can set their own schedule for contact with a noncustodial parent. Teens may also use texting and email which do not require scheduling but allow for instant contact and response. Some parents and teens enjoy on-line gaming together, but certainly that should not take the place of communication about the child’s life. A parent of a teen should also take care to keep in touch with his or her co-parent to ensure that he or she knows what is happening in his or her teen’s life just in case he or she is not receiving all of the information from his or her child.
Whether you are in Las Vegas or your child is, if you need help with custody issues, call the attorneys at Pecos Law Group.