When you’re separated, sometimes communicating with your ex can be difficult and can lead to conflict (intended or not). When I help clients develop a communication plan, it usually includes recommending that they use an app to communicate. There are tons of them out there, but my favourite is Our Family Wizard.
At it’s core are the shared calendaring and the messaging functions. If you use it for nothing else, this is worth it alone! For the calendar, enter basic parenting schedules, but also activity dates / time / locations, school events, birthday parties, etc., and even request a time-swap. It becomes the go-to place for everything kid-related. Notifications are sent to the other parent whenever changes are made to the calendar – you’ll never again have to tell the other parent twice, and can’t be blamed for not having told them!
The messaging function is similar to an email or a text, but it’s all in one place, and it creates boundaries for communicating. There’s even a “tone metre” to help you to refine / avoid those nasty words!
For child support, there’s a button where you can request reimbursement for expenses from the other parent, and even upload a photo of the receipt, and track once an item has been paid.
Have trouble keeping track of personal information, or tired of constantly providing information and the other parent forgetting to record it for future use? There’s an Info Bank section for entering such details as: health records; immunization histories; contact info for doctors, dentists, counsellors, schools, grandparents, etc; clothing sizes; etc.
And last but not least, the journal function is like a family diary – share photos, update on kid developments, and even use the “check in” feature to send a GPS pin to verify your location during your parenting time or even to prove the time you arrived for an exchange.