No parent can be with his or her children all day every day. Eventually, whether to go to work, run errands or simply take a break from parenting, all parents must rely on childcare. Still, the babysitter you choose can make a considerable difference in your children’s mental and emotional development.
According to reporting from ABC News, an effective way to choose a good babysitter is to ask trusted friends or relatives to do the job. During your co-parent’s parenting time, though, he or she may pick someone you do not trust or even do not like. Can you keep your co-parent from picking a bad babysitter?
Your Custody Plan
Perhaps the best time to insert some control over your co-parent’s babysitter selection is when you are drafting your custody plan. Indeed, you may want to consider putting a refusal clause into the agreement.
If you have a refusal clause, your co-parent must ask you to babysit your children before he or she asks anyone else. You have the option of refusing, however. If you do, your co-parent then can ask someone else to watch the children.
Your Availability
You are likely not always to be available to babysit the kids during your non-parenting time, of course. Still, if you agree to provide childcare frequently, you can reduce your children’s chances of spending time with someone you do not think is good for them.
Refusal clauses usually apply to both co-parents, so you may have to ask your co-parent to babysit when you need childcare during your scheduled parenting time. Ultimately, though, with a good refusal clause, you protect your kids and potentially maximize the time you get to spend with them.