Arizona divorcing and divorced parents are using more and more e-mails and texts to communicate with each other. This technology can be an effective tool for parents to utilize in child custody issues involving co-parenting and visitation rights.
The use of e-mail can allow parents to communicate quickly and effectively without involving the children in any verbal altercations between the parents which is more likely to occur when the parents are speaking face-to-face or on the telephone. The other tremendous benefit to e-mails is that a permanent record of the communication and particular agreement of the parties is created which can be referred to if need be for clarification at a later date.
A professor of human development at the University of Missouri has published a study after interviewing 49 divorced parents. He found that in couples who continued to be hostile to each other, their contentious relationships were made even worse by the use of technology such as e-mail and texting to withhold or manipulate information from the other parent. However, technology was also effectively used by parents who were able to set aside their own emotions and focus on their child’s best interests. Those parents were able to use technology to coordinate effective exchanges of information regarding their child and to keep each other up to date on their child’s activities.
If a couple with children is going to get divorced, they will have to interact even after the process is completed for the benefit of their children. Technology can be a useful tool for parents engaged in co-parenting during and post-divorce and can eventually lead to a better relationship with their children for both parents.
Source: Medicalxpress.com ,”Divorced parents in hostile relationships use technology to sabotage communication, study finds, Aug. 27, 2012