Despite the intense desire for people who are divorcing to simply never deal with each other again, couples who share children together will have to continue to communicate so they can parent the children. The situation can be a bit less stressful if you prepare for what’s to come.
One thing to remember is that you can’t let the dissolution of your romantic relationship shouldn’t have a role in how your children are being raised. You have to be able to put those differences aside and be a parenting team that can put the kids first.
Communicate directly with your co-parent
Never try to use the children as a medium for communication. Instead, talk directly to your co-parent. This minimizes the chance of incorrect communication. It also helps to ensure the children aren’t hearing anything they don’t need to know about.
Meet with your co-parent periodically to evaluate what’s going on with the children. This can include everything from the parenting time schedule to the mutual rules that carry over between homes. You can also use this time to talk about any changes or adjustments you may need to happen.
Provide consistency for the children
Parents who are able to put their differences aside and come up with a parenting plan that puts the children first enable their children to thrive despite the major life change that happened. This plan should be based on what the kids need now. As their needs change, the plan can be modified.
Ultimately, you will have to decide what’s best for the current situation. If you and your ex can work together to make these decisions, the children will likely do much better than they would if there was constant contention.
