How TalkingParents Helps Co-Parents and Attorneys
Divorce attorney and co-parent, Brenda DeRouen, explains why she highly recommends TalkingParents.
- 3 min read
- custody
- divorce
- family law
- guest author
As a divorce attorney and single mother, I am intimately aware of issues that come up with co-parenting. While in law school, I found myself struggling to notify my co-parent of the details regarding our son. Football practice, medical appointments, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and parent-teacher meetings were all things that I needed to keep the father of my child in the loop about, but I struggled.
It wasn’t until I found myself in family court as a practicing attorney that I learned about TalkingParents
The Judge in a highly contested custody case ordered my client and his spouse to utilize the app. They were ordered to communicate and share important details regarding the child exclusively through the TalkingParents App. Curious to see how the app would help my client, I downloaded it on my phone and convinced my son’s father to try it out.
To my surprise, the app was just what we needed in our own co-parenting journey. The Shared Calendar allowed me to easily add football games, practices, medical appointments, and school meetings to a calendar that was accessible to us both. Features such as the Shared Calendar, Personal Journal, Accountable Calling, Info Library, and Vault help simplify the complexities of co-parenting. It’s now an app that I highly recommend to my friends, family, and clients.
A common misconception is that co-parenting communication services only work for high-conflict situations
TalkingParents is an ideal tool for co-parents that have amicable relationships. It can be used to solidify agreements involving your children. For example, if you have a conversation about a potential change of schools for your child, you can begin a TalkingParents thread dedicated to that decision and look back on it whenever you need.
Additionally, a shared calendar can assist parents with staying in sync and organized. Parenting time schedules and extracurricular activities can require a lot of coordination, so sharing a calendar is key to staying on top of everything.
The TalkingParents Vault can be used like a safe. You can store copies of social security cards, birth certificates, and other important documents securely within the app. You have the option to share these vital records with your co-parent or keep it private.
Parenting apps are generally ordered in the family court system when parents struggle to find common ground
As an attorney, you can suggest and use the app to help your clients with their cases. TalkingParents can assist your clients in complying with court orders and hold the other parent accountable.
For example, in Texas, most parents have a duty to inform the other parent of significant information regarding the health, education, and welfare of the child in a timely manner. If families are ordered to use TalkingParents, this information can be uploaded, time stamped, and stored indefinitely. If a dispute ever arises, this information can be downloaded and used as evidence by attorneys in court.
The app also helps attorneys in matters involving family violence. In Texas, if someone has been found guilty of family violence, the Court may issue a no-contact order that does not allow the perpetrator to contact the victim. However, this is problematic when parties have children and custody orders in place that have not yet been modified. In this situation, attorneys may ask the court to include language in the no-contact order to allow conversation exclusively through the TalkingParents App. The order can be further restricted to only allow conversations regarding the child.
TalkingParents offers timestamped and unalterable messages, so there is no confusion about who sent a message, when it was sent, or what content the message contains. The app helps avoid disputes between parents and keeps both parties accountable. Violations of court orders are easily detectible and provide attorneys and judges with evidence to take further action if necessary.