When you were pregnant with your children, the chances are that you always imagined a perfect family life. You, your partner, your kids, and your pets all living happily together. The problem is that sometimes life just doesn’t happen like that – things don’t work out the way that you imagined they would, which means that you may not be raising your children how you thought you would be – as part of a happy couple.
Regardless of the fact that you and your partner are no longer together, you most probably still want your children to be raised by both their parents, which is why you are likely to be keen to co-parent. The only issue is that you don’t want your children growing up surrounded by drama, which is why you are keen to make co-parenting work seamlessly. The question is, how can you ensure that’s the case?
Talk things through with your ex-partner
The basis of any good co-parenting relationship is understanding of each other’s wants and needs. So it makes sense to sit down with your ex-partner and go through a few things, discussing how the two of you will make co-parenting work. If you are worried about the fact that things are still fresh and that an argument may break out, consider using a local family lawyers mediation services to prevent any problems from arising. The last thing you want is to argue and fall out with your ex, which is why using a mediation service may be a good idea.
Be flexible with schedules
Whether there is a court-appointed visitation schedule or not, don’t be afraid to be flexible with when your ex-partner is able to see the children. Say, for example, there is a football game on that your children’s father wants to take them to, just because it’s not his appointed time to visit, does that mean he can’t take them to see the game? Ask yourself, would your children like to go and would they have fun? If the answer is yes, then you should let them go. There’s no need for tit-for-tat when it comes to your children, be flexible and accommodating and co-parenting will be easier.
Communicate directly with your children’s other parent
Don’t make the mistake of sending messages through your children. When you do this, sometimes messages can be shared with missing information. Then there is the fact that if you have something negative to say, it could upset your children if you ask them to pass it on to their father. That’s why it is always best to communicate directly with your children’s other parent, either via text message, phone call, or in person. If it’s a last minute message, you can always write a note and give it to your children to pass on to their father, just make sure it’s in a sealed envelope so that they can’t read it.
There you have it, a guide to making co-parenting work for you and steering clear of any drama that could potentially have a negative impact on your children.
*collaborative post
