{3:12 minutes to read} In our previous article, I wrote about the challenges that some divorced parents may Divorce and Co-Parenting Between Continents by Jennifer Safianencounter during the summer when children are on school vacation and out of their regular routine.

In this article, I wanted to outline some of the challenges divorced parents are faced with when they live on different continents.

I recently mediated a divorce for a French couple. They had three young children and had moved to New York several years ago, where the husband had received a job offer to work for a French bank. This job afforded the family many financial benefits for living abroad, but unfortunately the relationship between the parents was fraught with troubles, and the couple came to mediation to work out the terms of their divorce.

The wife did not want to remain in New York away from her family and support system, so with much trepidation, the husband agreed that she and the three children would return to France. They had kept their home there, so she could easily get settled back into it and get the children back into their previous school.

The biggest problem, of course, was that the father and the children would be separated from each other. The father also wanted the children to keep up with their English and some of the American traditions, such as summer camps, which are very different from the European counterpart. The couple worked hard to create a workable agreement that would satisfy many of their respective requests.

A divorcing couple with children, who will be living on different continents, in countries with different cultures, presents some unique issues that have to be worked out:

  1. How will parents plan summers for the children?
  2. When and how will visits with both sets of grandparents be arranged?
  3. When can the non-custodial parent have sufficient time with the children?
  4. How frequently would the children travel to visit the non-custodial parent?
  5. Can the children travel as unaccompanied minors?
  6. If no, will the custodial parent travel with the children?
  7. What are the costs associated with the trips?
  8. How many trips a year can the couple afford?
  9. Who will pay for the travel expenses?

These are just some of the questions that may come up. Divorcing and living on different continents, in countries with different cultures, immediately comes with challenges, but let’s not forget that many advantages can also be reaped, even in such difficult situations.

Mediation can offer the best platform to brainstorm and find solutions for divorcing couples facing the hurdles of co-parenting between two continents.

Jennifer Safian

Jennifer Safian

jennifer safian. divorce and family mediator
divorce and family mediation
upper east side of manhattan (nyc)
new york, ny
(917) 881 5206
jpsafian@gmail.com
Jennifer Safian

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