Parenting after a divorce is something that is going to be a challenge at first. One of the parenting methods, co-parenting, takes work from you and your ex. You will have to work together to come up with a plan for raising the children.
If you are considering a co-parenting relationship, you have to find out what is going to work for your situation. Not all co-parenting relationships are the same, so don’t think that you have to do the same thing as another person.
You and your ex need to think about what goals you have for the relationship. The children must be at the center of these, so think about what you can do to keep things consistent and stable for the kids.
Once you get things ironed out, put it all in writing. The parenting plan is going to be where you turn to settle disputes and make decisions from here on out.
Even though you and your ex write out a parenting plan, both adults need to remain flexible. There are times when things might not work out like you planned, so be ready to face these situations with a positive attitude.
Working with your ex isn’t always going to be easy, but it can make the entire situation much better for your children. Showing each other respect teaches your children a valuable lesson about being an adult. Since preparing your children for adulthood is one of the goals of parenting, this can give you a head start on the process.
If you find that the co-parenting relationship isn’t working, you might need to move to another parenting model. This isn’t a failure, as long as you find something that works for you and your children.
Source: Our Family Wizard, “What Is Co-Parenting?,” accessed Dec. 28, 2017