After a divorce, some parents in Hawaii might have face having to move away from their children due to circumstances in their personal life or in their careers. The move, particularly after divorce, might bring up some emotions that could potentially affect the parent-child relationship. However, parents can continue to develop loving, supportive parent-child relationships even if they need to move far away.
Technology has made it a lot easier to communicate constantly and this is a benefit for parents who live far away from their children and who might not have primary child custody of them. Email, Instagram, and the various video chat apps available allow parents and children instant day-to-day communication. However, while establishing set hours for calling and chatting works well in this situation, it is also good to surprise children by contacting them at different times, just to wish them well on a new activity or ask about something the child was concerned with.
Parent-child relationships work best when parents take a real interest in their children’s passions and life, so learning about the things the children want to pursue opens up a lot of avenue for conversations. This includes getting to know their friends and their friends’ parents. Parents should also spend time alone with their children. Even if the parent has a new partner, time should be set aside for the parent and child alone, so they can bond.
Distance can be hard on any relationship, but parents can continue to have the type of relationship they want with their children with effort and dedication. During the child custody negotiations, parents might work with a lawyer to help them design a parenting plan that keeps the best interest of the child and works for everyone involved.