When parents divorce, they may end up splitting parenting time equally or arrive at some other arrangement. Some even lose all visitation. Coping with this loss of parenting time can weigh heavily on parents. But all is not lost and rest assured, there are many ways to maintain a connection with your child throughout their life.

Check out the ten options below which divorced parents can leverage to regain time with their kids. Determine which ones will work for your situation and implement them to help you reduce separation anxiety and strengthen your bond with your child. Where there is a will, there is a way.

While most domestic courts offer guidelines and may even suggest predefined schedules for divorcing parents to divide time with their children, in many cases, you have a far broader array of options to pick from. In fact, you may be able to design your own schedule, which is more creative, flexible, and well suited for your family’s specific circumstances.

Of course, it is important for you and your co-parent to consult local laws and seek professional assistance to ensure that whatever schedule you devise is properly documented and will be accepted by the courts. Additionally, family professionals such as lawyers and mediators can help to facilitate the process between you and your co-parent. As a family and divorce mediator trained by the Ohio Supreme Court, I work with parents to help them create equitable parenting plans that the courts will accept. Leveraging a mediator can help divorcing parents maintain control of their outcome while avoiding the high cost of litigation.

What do we do when we have something important coming up? In most cases, given the chance, we prepare for it – mentally, physically, and emotionally. Why do we prepare? Because it gives us the greatest chance of success. I’ve always admired the improv – the person who can respond with ease in a moment. The person who always seems to have the right comeback and can articulate their thoughts as they desire without any preparation at all. But for many, this simply isn’t how we operate. How often do you have a conversation with someone and then afterward say to yourself, “Dang, I should have said (insert your perfect response here). Why didn’t I think of that then?” Yes, why didn’t you think of that then? Because not all of us are great at improv. I know I personally am not. Yet, when I prepare in advance, I am confident I can navigate most interactions with grace.

After you and your child’s other parent split up romantically, your relationship as co-parents lives on. How well that works out is up to both of you. It will require intention, compromise, thoughtfulness, and focus on the right things. Establishing a parenting plan can provide you with a blueprint for success.

Many local court systems offer divorcing parent coaching programs which will walk you through the basics. There are also many highly qualified co-parenting coaches, mediators, and divorce attorneys who can guide you through the process. However you decide to proceed with laying out your co-parenting plan, be sure to incorporate these principles as you create it: