Divorce is rated as one of the most stressful life experiences people encounter. Dealing with your stress is important to living a productive life and requires paying attention to your emotional needs and letting go of issues that you cannot control. When you are a parent, having less contact with your children can create an emotional void and sometimes you have little control over the amount of one-on-one contact you have with your children.
Fathers are better able to contribute to the well-being of their children when they have ongoing and consistent access to them. Since mothers are awarded primary custody of the children roughly 85% of the time, fathers must establish new and meaningful ways to be engaged in their child’s life when they are apart. Web-based communication technologies can increase both the amount of contact and quality of interactions fathers have with their children, both of which are important to maintaining and continuing to build healthy parent-child relationships.
Studies show that children and adolescents from divorced families experience a sense of security from having a scheduled time to interact with their father. Since physical contact is not always possible, technology offers an alternative method for fathers to stay connected. It is important to find new ways to spend time with your children when you can’t be physically present. For example, you can schedule a weekly time to video-chat, play a game on an interactive whiteboard, or do both at the same time. One father played hangman with his child’s spelling words, while talking on video-chat. He stated,
There is nothing better than seeing the excitement on her face when she guesses a word. I can tell how proud she is, and I feel honored that I get to see it! Plus, It is a great way to be part of her learning.
At this critical juncture, life as it was ends and but a new chapter begins. You will feel less stressed when you take action, get creative, and find ways to interact with your children. Remember that when you take action and care for yourself, you are a better parent, you will feel better and your children will notice!
We have a strong commitment to excellence in technology and an even stronger commitment to our families. We have experienced first-hand the pain of being separated from loved ones, from divorce, business travel and from parents or grandparents in other parts of the country or even other parts of the world.
http://etendi.com is dedicated to making the world a better place, one family at a time.
Shelly D. Mahon, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Human Development and Family Studies. Ms Mahon is a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Email: shelly@shellydmahon.com
© 2009/2010 Shelly D. Mahon
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