Sullivan Taylor & Gumina September 2017

EXTRACURRICULAR OVERLOAD

How to Demystify Your Kids’ Jampacked Schedules

As school starts up again, so do sports. Your kids’ extracurricular ambitions pile up like the falling autumn leaves. Managing their schedules can seem impossible, but don’t let yourself get burned out. Here are some tips to stay sane in the midst of the extracurricular whirlwind. Consolidate all your scheduling, jotting, and activity-tracking strategies into one system. You can’t afford to be scrawling “Abby piano lesson rescheduled 9/21” on the first scrap of paper you come across. That doesn’t mean you have to be hyper-organized, but it does mean that you need to keep your entire calendar in one place, whether that place is Google Calendar, a fridge whiteboard, or the old-fashioned standby: a calendar with a lighthouse on every page. Whichever system you choose, keep it updated. Its word is law. Form parent alliances. It’s vital that you and your partner coordinate availability and who’s driving who when, but you should go further than that. Those soccer practices Jacob’s going to? There are other teammates there, and those teammates have parents shuttling them around, just like you

are. Set up carpools to manage scheduling conflicts between your kids and drastically reduce the time you spend as a chauffeur. Maintain balance. This might come as a surprise, but you will have to say no to your child every now and then. Sure, simultaneous baseball, football, and soccer seasons might seem healthy and fun for your kid, but you need to consider your own needs, as well. Many parents give their children free rein over what to choose, but limit activities to one or two per season. Make sure you weigh each child’s needs equally, and keep the rules the same for each of them.

MISCOMMUNICATING WITH YOUR EX-SPOUSE?

There’s an App for That!

Parenting is tough, and it doesn’t get any easier when you add in the challenges of post-divorce co-parenting. Although it’s sometimes a challenge to deal with other people, the biggest challenges are organization and communication. You have to keep track of homework, extracurricular activities, field trips, trips to the doctor, etc. so the ball doesn’t get dropped. Apps like Our Family Wizard make dealing with all of these things much easier, especially if you and your ex don’t do well face-to-face. You each download the app, and it helps you keep track of the things

that matter to your child’s well-being. Using the app is a good idea in any co-parenting relationship. Even if you and your ex get along fine, there are advantages to having everything in one place, instead of relying on a complicated system of texts, calendar reminders, and missed appointments. Sometimes, courts mandate that co-parents use apps like Our Family Wizard which have a subscription cost as part of their parenting agreement. If that’s happened in your case, try to take advantage of the opportunity to stay organized and on top of things. Not only can the app help you be a more involved co-parent, but it can also track how attentive you’re being. If you don’t take the app seriously, you could end up back in court. If you have questions about Our Family Wizard or other apps, especially about how they relate to your unique parenting agreement, don’t hesitate to ask us. My offices are very familiar with these applications and very knowledgeable about Illinois divorce law. If you aren’t sure how to proceed, we would love to help!

2 www.stglawfirm.com

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