Divorce or separation under any circumstance is never a walk in the park. It does not get any easier when there are children involved.
Co-parenting is an arrangement where parents who are no longer in a romantic relationship focus on the upbringing of their children. Done right, a co-parenting plan can help you raise healthy, stable and loving children despite your differences with the other parent.
Here are a few tips that can help you make co-parenting succeed.
Take communication seriously
One of the most important rules for effective co-parenting is a proper communication strategy. This means being honest, transparent and realistic about your own strengths and capabilities. It is important that you come up with a reliable and agreeable communication channel. This can be face-to-face or remote communication. Whatever mode you settle for, be sure to make communication about your children’s welfare as open and objective as possible. Remember, the ultimate goal is to send the message to your children that you are on the same page when it comes to matters touching on their welfare.
Do not drag the kids into your differences
Your ex may not be your favorite human being anymore. And you may have a lot of negative things to say about them. However, it is important to understand that speaking negatively about your ex, especially to your children, amounts to parental alienation. Besides impacting your children, this can also hurt your custody case should the matter end up in court. The last thing you want is to paint a picture in the minds of your children that one parent is bad and the other good.
It is all about the children
Co-parenting is all about ensuring that your children experience the love and attention of both parents. As such, it is important that you make them the primary focus of your co-parenting plan. This calls for flexibility and readiness to make certain concessions in the interest of your children.
Life after separation or divorce is never the same for everyone. However, an effective co-parenting plan can make life bearable for the children and the parents as well.