Visitation Time

Many divorced or separated parents struggle with how to make the most out of visitation time with their children. You may have heard the cliché “Zoo Daddy”. It refers to a divorced father having visitation privileges, and who stereotypically takes his children mainly to places such as the park, an ice cream place or some other standard fun spot on visitation day – more out of a frustration over how to spend the visitation time, than enjoyment of these places or his child. If you are a non-custodial parent, you have a special set of problems that you probably weren’t aware of when your family was intact. Chances are you didn’t anticipate them even, if you were the one to initiate the marital breakup. To avoid being a ‘Zoo” or “Disneyland Daddy” make your children as much a part of your new life as possible given the limitations of time. You’ll find that the climate can become a lot more relaxed, and visitations will seem less like a chore if more time is spent on normal everyday activities. This way you will give them a realistic view of you, your life and how they fit into it. Also the kids will actually find it easier to readjust when they go home to their custodial parent.