Divorces often come with negative feelings between the people involved. There are some instances in which the parties simply realize that they aren’t compatible any longer and decide to end the marriage. They still want to remain friends. You might realize that staying friends is actually a good idea, especially if you have children together. In these cases, working on making that happen might be beneficial.
The journey toward friendship after divorce won’t always be easy. In some cases, you will have to work very hard to establish a friendship that isn’t based on a romantic notion. There are several things that you can do that might help.
First, be willing to give yourself time to cope with the fact that your marriage has ended. Address your emotions. If there is anything that might be creating a rift that will make a friendship difficult, try to find ways to cope with that.
Second, think about how your children will benefit from the arrangement. Knowing that you and their other parent can get along might make them less concerned about how special events might be handled. They will come to realize that both parents can fully be there for them.
Third, set clear boundaries. You don’t want the friendship’s terms to be the same as the marriage’s. Before you and your ex embark up on the friendship, make sure that each of you knows what is allowed and what isn’t.
It is a good idea to have terms in the parenting plan that address how conflicts will be handled. Even if you are able to remain friends, there is still a chance that you and your ex will have disagreements about some aspects of parenting.