Some parents are moving toward a co-parenting model for child custody arrangements. These arrangements are a great idea in many cases, but they do take work from the parents if they are going to be successful.
If you and your ex opt for a co-parenting model for your child custody plan, you need to make sure that you are mentally prepared for this ordeal. Keeping your focus where it needs to be can help you reduce the stress on yourself and your child.
Make plans for extended family
Your family and your ex’s family will want to remain a part of your child’s life. You need to make sure that you and your ex set clear boundaries for this. Lay out what types of behavior will be tolerated and which behaviors aren’t acceptable. Taking care of this now can help you if issues creep up with extended family members in the future.
Keep things positive
It is all too easy to fall down the rabbit hole of negativity. Make sure that you don’t allow this to happen because that rabbit hole is full of misery. Instead, keep the focus on your child and stay positive. The past doesn’t matter and the future is too bright to have any dark clouds obstructing it.
Stay willing to communicate and compromise
You must be willing to communicate with your ex. Issues and problems are bound to occur. Stay willing to compromise with your ex when this occurs. No matter what is going on, don’t use your child to pass messages and don’t air out the dirty laundry on social media. Private communication is best and gives your children a good example.
Even in co-parenting arrangements, there is a chance that some issues won’t be able to be resolved. If the issues are serious, you might need to turn to the court for help getting them handled.
Source: Psychology Today, “The Do’s and Don’ts of Co-Parenting Well,” Deborah Serani Psy.D., accessed April 28, 2017