Virtual visitation is a supplement to in-person visitation

Being a parent isn’t an easy job. When you don’t live near your children, that difficulty is often increased. You might wish that you could be there for all of the major milestones in your child’s life. While that might not be physically possible, you might be able to be there virtually thanks to advances in technology.

Just a few weeks ago, we discussed some of the factors that might affect military parents who are going through a child custody battle. Those military parents, as well as other long-distance parents, might find virtual visitation with their child helps to keep the relationship going even when you can’t be there in person.

Virtual visitation allows a parent to communicate with a child through certain video services, such as video conferencing. Some parents might also find that emails, video chats, instant messaging and other similar forms of communication help them to remain a part of the child’s life even if the child lives across the country or across the world.

One important point for parents to realize is that virtual visitation isn’t something that is meant to replace in-person visits. Instead, these virtual visits simply try to fill the gap that occurs when a parent lives too far away for frequent in-person visits.

With the ease of virtual communication these days, you might find that you are able to watch your child play, read your child a bedtime story or celebrate an award with your child. Exploring the options available for virtual visitation, including having it added to a parenting plan, might help you to decide if you should pursue virtual visitation as part of your child custody case.

Source: FindLaw, “Virtual Visitation,” accessed Sep. 26, 2015