Using Online Apps To Make Your Parenting Plan Work Better

Divorced parents can often feel like they are facing a never-ending stream of details about where their children are and where they may need to be. Thankfully, with the rise of technology has come the development of sophisticated apps designed to make sharing custody smoother and less stressful.

Co-parenting apps are designed to deal with a wide range of activity, from scheduling to communication. The apps typically include shared calendars for keeping track of important dates and events; messaging forums for communicating about pick-ups and other details related to kids; and shared resources such as contact information for doctors, teachers and other people involved in the children’s lives.

Here is a selection of the most popular apps:

  1. FamCal — As the name suggests, FamCal provides shared calendaring for busy families. Their calendars allow for color-coding of specific activities of each family member, leaving notes for particular events and setting up task lists to prepare for upcoming events. The app also allows parents to stay in contact while minimizing direct communication, which can be helpful after a contentious divorce.
  2. Our Family Wizard — This app is a communication platform designed to promote peaceful and respectful communication during co-parenting. Each parent is assigned an account for communication. Children, nannies and even attorneys and mediators can be added as well. The app includes a “tone checker” that can help parents make their communications less likely to be interpreted as negative or aggressive.
  3. CoPilots — This app is designed to help harmonize life for children across two households. It allows parents to share calendars and resources and to message each other through the app. It also includes a photo-sharing feature so that parents can share pictures of their children with each other and capture important moments that one parent might otherwise miss.
  4. Custody X Change — For some parents, a crucial part of any custody arrangement is the amount of time they are permitted to spend with their child. This app helps parents to track the cumulative time of their visitation and make sure they are getting the amount they are entitled to, particularly where work and school make schedules challenging.

These apps generally keep logs of scheduling and communication that has occurred, so they can also be helpful in the event that one parent needs to seek modification of a custody schedule at a later time. An experienced Arizona family law attorney can advise on how to best utilize a parenting app in your particular situation.

At Clark and Schloss Family Law, P.C. in Scottsdale, we advise Arizona parents in all aspects of child custody matters. For a consultation, please call our office at 602-789-3497 or contact us online anytime.