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Successful co-parenting after divorce is possible

On Behalf of | Mar 22, 2021 | Family Law |

Though your marriage is ending, your relationship with your ex will not end completely. That is because you have kids together. You and your ex may not be living together anymore, but you still have to be your children’s parents. That generally means sharing custody and collaborating on important decisions regarding the children’s education, healthcare and more.

Most parents want what is best for their children and do not want to deny their kids any amount of love, security and support after divorce. It can seem impossible to work positively with your parent after your relationship has ended. After all, there was a reason, and likely several reasons, you are no longer together. Things like adultery, poor money management or simply falling out of love can be difficult to forgive or move past.

Sharing physical and legal child custody

But divorced parents in Indiana do it every day. The law states a preference for shared child custody. This refers both to physical child custody, which determines how much time a child spends living with each parent, and legal child custody, which gives parents the right to make important decisions about the child’s upbringing. Even when one parent receives sole physical custody, the court will generally order the parents to share legal custody.

With a focus on the children’s well-being and a willingness to work together, divorced couples can thrive as parents. It helps to have a thoughtful and reasonable child custody plan as a foundation, especially if the parents and their divorce attorneys negotiated a settlement themselves.