Tips for Parents:
Supervised visitation should be viewed as a tool that helps families as they go through difficult and/or transitional times. By making the most of supervised visits, you can show the court, your co-parent, and most importantly your child that you have good intentions and are willing to do whatever it takes!
You probably have many questions and concerns, and that is perfectly understandable. Just do your best to focus on your relationship with your children–your patience and commitment are important during this time.
Plan Ahead
Keeping a schedule is crucial. Do not be late or cancel your visitations unless there is a real emergency!
Supervised visitation should be an enjoyable experience for you and your child, so try to make the visit both fun and engaging! Come prepared with books, crafts, games, and activities that your child will enjoy. *ProTip* games are fantastic distractions! They’re fun, they provide an opportunity to laugh, and they help bring some normalcy to the situation.
If you are able to have your visitation in the community, take your child to the park, museum, library, beach, or zoo. You can end the trip by bonding over ice cream at your child’s favorite shop!
Also, try to think of something that you and your child can look forward to doing each visit. If your child likes listening to stories, choose a book with chapters so that you can both enjoy reading a little more each visit. If your child likes art or putting things together, choose a craft or project that you can work on a little bit at a time.
Preparing Children For Supervised Time With A Parent
It is understandable that supervised visitation may also be a challenge for you. With this in mind, we are here to help with any questions or concerns that may arise along the way. Always remember, as difficult as it may seem the best thing you can do for your children is maintain a positive mindset and upbeat attitude!
Talk about the visits beforehand, and you may want to mark it on a calendar that your child has access to. This will help keep them aware of when they’ll next see their other parent and how frequently.
Try to put any negative feelings you have about your co-parent aside. Support your child by speaking positively about upcoming visits, even encourage your child to look forward to them.
When your child leaves a supervised visitation session, be prepared to let your child give you as much information as they want to about it. Don’t interview them about the visit; instead, allow them to say as much as they want.
It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than
anything else, will affect its successful outcome. -William James