8 Tips for Fathers Who Are Single Parenting After Divorce

 Posted on December 01, 2025 in Family Law

After divorce, many fathers find themselves newly single and taking on a major parenting role. Between adjusting to new routines, managing work, and caring for your children full-time or part-time, you may feel stretched thin. The good news is that you are not alone. Thousands of Wisconsin fathers successfully share or manage custody every day.

Whether you have primary placement of your children or share custody equally, these practical tips from our family law attorney Kristin Leaf can help you create structure, stability, and balance in your post-divorce life.

If you have questions about any part of divorce, including your parenting plan, placement schedule, or child custody rights, contact Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP to schedule a consultation with an experienced Milwaukee, WI divorce and child custody attorney.

Tips for Single Fathers After Divorce that Actually Help

Make Sure You Have a Clear Parenting Schedule

Under Wis. Stat. § 767.41, Wisconsin courts focus on what serves the "best interests of the child," favoring shared physical placement and decision-making whenever possible. This means you will probably be sharing custody and visitation with your ex.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do to set yourself up for success after divorce is making sure you have a predictable custody and visitation schedule. Your parenting plan should have exact details for drop-off and pick-up times, where custody exchanges will happen, and how holidays and vacations will be managed.

This predictability helps both you and your kids by helping your kids feel secure and minimizing conflict with your ex. When conflict does come up, stick to the written schedule as closely as possible and communicate any changes in writing so you can easily document them.

Include a "Right of First Refusal" in Your Parenting Plan 

A right of first refusal means that if one parent cannot care for the children during their scheduled time (say, because of a work trip or illness), the other parent gets the first opportunity to take the kids before a babysitter or relative is called.

This clause can be extremely valuable for fathers who want to maintain meaningful involvement and extra time with their kids. Ask your lawyer to help you include clear language about how much notice must be given and how the exchange will work.

Know How School District Rules Affect Custody

If you and your ex live in different school districts, things can get complicated. Wisconsin law allows parents to decide which district the child will attend, but if you cannot agree, the court may designate one parent’s home as the child’s "primary residence" for school purposes.

Work with the school district early. If necessary, give them copies of your parenting plan so teachers, counselors, and administrators know which parent to contact for emergencies, attendance issues, and report cards.

Try to attend parent-teacher conferences together. If this is uncomfortable, you can alternate attendance or simply meet with teachers at different times. The important thing here is to be involved in your kids’ education.

Master the Logistics of School and Activities

Between bus schedules, homework, sports practices, and after-school clubs, staying organized can feel like a full-time job. Create a shared online calendar with your ex that includes:

• School start and end times

• Bus pick-up and drop-off locations

• Extracurricular activities and fees

• Doctor and dentist appointments

If your child rides the bus, introduce yourself to the driver. If your child is too young to manage transitions alone, arrange with the school to ensure a safe handoff.

Proactively Hire Reliable Childcare and Backup Help

Most fathers work, and many of them work very demanding jobs. The odds that you will need help with childcare are very high. This may mean working with a daycare, a nanny, after-school babysitters, a housekeeper, or even a household manager.

When hiring in-home childcare, interview candidates in person, ask for references, and do a background check. Make sure candidates align with your values and goals so your kids get as much consistency as possible. If you are pressed for time, there are many competent agencies to help you screen for and interview these helpers. While they are not cheap, a great nanny or household manager can be worth their weight in gold.

Having two or three backup babysitters lined up can save you considerable stress, but you should also talk to your employer about family leave options or flexible scheduling if your kids get sick and you need to stay home.

Create a Consistent Routine for Your Kids

Kids need structure, especially after divorce. Set clear daily routines for bedtime, meals, homework, and chores. Try to keep the rules in your home as consistent as possible with your ex’s household.

Simple, repeatable routines create two-fold rewards: Your kids get the stability they need, and you deal with less behavioral issues. The flexibility of the schedule will be different for each household, but in general, you want to aim for a sweet spot of both consistency and realistic expectations that makes parenting easier for everyone.

Manage Meals and Household Tasks Strategically

Cooking, cleaning, and laundry are necessary but they take a lot of time. A few practical strategies can help:

• Batch cook on weekends. Make large portions of meals like pasta or chili that reheat easily. Kids tend to like simple foods, and you can even plan on having the same thing on certain nights of the week.

• Use grocery pickup or delivery. Take the time to add things you regularly buy to the store’s online grocery list. Once you do this one time, you will save yourself considerable time in the future.

• Teach kids to help with chores appropriate for their age and expect them to complete them.

• Hire out what you can. Lawn care, house cleaning, or grocery runs can easily be managed by someone else.

If your budget allows, hiring help frees you to focus on your kids when they are home and your job when they are not.

Call a Strategic Milwaukee, WI Divorce and Child Custody Attorney

Being a single father after a divorce is demanding, but with the right strategy, you can make it work very well. A knowledgeable Milwaukee family law attorney can help you create a new parenting plan, update your existing parenting plan, or enforce your custody rights.

At Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP, we understand the unique challenges fathers face when adjusting to single parenting. Our attorneys have helped Wisconsin parents build stable, supportive post-divorce lives for over two decades. Call 414-271-1440 today for a free consultation and learn how we can help you protect your time, your rights, and your children’s future.