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Proponents of the Web cam option seek to get it included in custody agreements and in state custody laws. But not everyone is ready for it.
Instead of counting the months until she would see her son each summer, Carrie Hammond needed only count the hours until Kegan’s face would light up her computer screen. Though Kegan, 6, was in Tennessee with his father, and Hammond, 27, lived in San Marcos, the two were participating in virtual visitation as part of the family’s child-custody agreement by making video calls via Web cameras. "It’s been instrumental in keeping the relationship strong," Hammond said, recalling their hours-long, twice-weekly Web cam sessions.
Recently, Kegan chose to move in with Hammond, a decision she attributes to the emotional closeness the Web cams afforded them for four years.
Virtual visitation is becoming a popular way to incorporate the potential of modern technology into the lives of parents and children separated by divorce and distance. Utah, Wisconsin and most recently, Missouri, have made virtual visitation state law, and several other state legislatures, including those in California and Ohio, are considering making it a formal supplement to physical custody arrangements.
SOURCE: California Divorce and Family Law Blog
The Children’s Rights Council, headquartered in Hyattsville, Md., opposes virtual visitation. Chief executive David L. Levy has said he fears it would become a substitute for physical contact. The Utah, Wisconsin and Missouri laws specifically state that virtual visits may not be used in place of personal visits, nor should they justify one parent’s relocation.
What do you think?
Virtual Visitation laws have not yet passed in Missouri although Pre-Draft Bills for it have been created for Legislative Session 2008. Virtual Visitation bills have passed into law in Utah in 2004, Wisconsin in 2006, Texas in 2007 (the bill I introduced), and Florida in 2007. As a weekly practitioner of Virtual Visitation, I can attest that it is a great improvement over just telephone or letters, and works very well to diminish Separation Anxiety as well as the crippling impact of Parental Alienation. The Parent-Child Bond is greatly enhanced. The Children’s Rights Council should not oppose Virtual Visitation because yes, the laws specifically state that it is to be a supplement to in-person visitation and never a replacement for it.