When a marriage dissolves and divorce is in the offing, there are many things to think about. If you have children, the first and foremost thing on your mind will probably be your children and how the divorce will affect them. Divorce can be very hard on children. They will have to deal with the breakdown of the family structure. They will have to witness that their parents are under a great deal of stress. They will have to deal with their own stress as a result of their parents’ separation. Therefore, it would be better to make the divorce process go as smoothly as possible for the sake of the children. One of the ways this can be achieved is by making co-parenting work.
What exactly is co-parenting? It means staying actively involved in your children’s lives after divorce by sharing parental responsibilities with an ex-wife or ex-husband living under a separate roof. This also means that the ex-spouses do their best to have a friendly relationship for the sake of the children. Shared parenting plans are made during the divorce process. They must be clearly stated, they must be practical and they must consider both households. Making co-parenting work helps children better adjust to divorce. This benefit to children has resulted in co-parenting becoming increasingly popular among divorced parents. Some states have even made it mandatory to develop a shared parenting plan during the divorce process.
When working out a co-parenting agreement, it is essential to have clear lines of communication open between the former spouses. Coming to an agreement together is very important if the desired effect is to make co-parenting work. Other than that, the same rules of parenting in one home apply to homes with shared parenting arrangements. Former spouses should respect each other and should not complain about the other parent with their children. Children should not act as messengers between parents. If parents have problems with each other, they should work it out and talk about it when the children are not around. It’s also very important to make sure each child knows that both parents will hear her voice. They should also know that they will always be loved by both parents.
Other issues to work on in a co-parenting agreement include custody and visitation schedules, how to manage the children’s education, financial issues, etc. Making co-parenting work means considering each parent’s strengths, being flexible, but most importantly, it means putting children first.