And as much as I hate to admit that Microsoft might have goodness up it's sleeve, it looks like Xbox One could be an ace in the hole for long distance parents. It takes all of those things that kind of work in virtual visitation - and piles them all into one gaming console.
Parenting is hard and it's full of tough decisions from birth and even past the time that the kid(s) are adults. The decision to be at a distance from a child is a valid or even necessary option sometimes and is one of the single toughest decisions to make. Long distance parents are not deadbeats or abandoning their kids. In fact, the decision to be apart from a child is just the first step of the tough road that they navigate to maintain a loving relationship with the child.
Long distance parents travel. A lot. Sometimes that also means companion tickets for the little ones. When my son was too small to fly unaccompanied, I would get up early…
The topic comes up over and over on long distance parenting forums. Travel is expensive and every dollar counts when you could be spending thousands a year on travel. Here is a list of ways to help keep the costs of travel down.
As a long distance parent, you live in one place and your child lives in another. It's possible that there is even a third location involved if your child has relocated since the custody case was decided. Here are some details on the intricacies related to location involved in a long distance custody court case.
Every now and then, someone in the Long Distance Parent group on Facebook recommends a book that helped them with a particular situation. I try to keep track of them…