“Dad, where are you, I’ve been waiting for you for half an hour. You were meant to take me to the dentist, remember? We’re going to be late. Again.”
Remember when you were married, and you had a paper calendar on the kitchen door? Your wife filled it with everything you needed to remember. She rang you too, to remind you to pick up the kids or to buy her flowers because it was your wedding anniversary.
You still have a calendar on the kitchen door, made by your kids, with photos of you and them together. The only thing is, there is no one to write on it anymore.
When you got divorced, you drew up a time-sharing agreement. You have it taped on the door next to the calendar, but it does not detail the little things that happen in your children’s lives: the clubs, appointments and birthday parties that you need to work your days around.
Communication with your ex-partner can be difficult when you get divorced. However, when you have kids, communicating with your ex is essential, if only to organize the children.
Thankfully there are now interactive calendars designed especially for parents who no longer live together. These co-parenting apps go far beyond a traditional paper calendar. You can use them to allocate tasks to each parent, to upload and share documents relating to your kids, or to sign those forms that need both parent’s signatures — which can be difficult when you live apart.
You, your ex, or the children themselves can add things to the app, all without having to pick up the phone and speak to each other. Now there is no excuse for forgetting to pick your kid up.