For parents with demanding or unpredictable work schedules—including many small business owners, students, doctors, engineers and other professionals—maintaining a consistent parenting plan can be challenging. Even consistent virtual visitation arrangements may be very difficult to coordinate.
While video calls and other digital connections can be incredibly valuable for maintaining parent-child bonds, coordinating them around an irregular work calendar requires flexibility, communication and thoughtful planning. Everyone’s expectations (those of each parent and their child) need to be molded in certain ways if a parent needs to work and their work schedule lacks predictability.
Finding workable ways forward
Virtual visitation is often written into parenting plans to supplement in-person parenting time, especially when a parent lives at a distance or has limited availability due to professional demands. But for those whose schedules change weekly—or even daily—it may be unrealistic to stick to a rigid visitation schedule. In such cases, it’s important to build flexibility into an agreement from the start.
One effective approach is to create a “floating” virtual visitation schedule. This allows both parents to agree on specific windows of availability on a weekly basis, rather than adhering to fixed days and times. For example, one parent may be able to commit to a virtual visit every Tuesday evening one week, and Thursday afternoon the next. By giving the scheduling structure some breathing room, parents can avoid the frustration of missed calls and strained communication.
It can also be helpful to designate a minimum number of virtual visits per week or month, rather than a strict cadence. This can help to ensure regular contact while still accommodating the realities of shift work, travel and unexpected professional obligations.
To support this system, shared digital calendars or parenting apps can streamline communication. These tools make it easy to propose, confirm and adjust visit times as needed—without unnecessary conflict. They can also serve as documentation if questions arise later about compliance or effort.
Ultimately, children benefit most when both parents are present and engaged—even if it’s through a screen. If your work schedule or your co-parent’s is unpredictable, a flexible but reliable virtual visitation plan can help your child stay connected in a way that works for your family.