Illinois Divorce Lawyer Blog
Tips to co-parenting after divorce
Byline: Our Family Wizard Software
After a divorce, the idea of communicating with an ex may seem near to impossible. While dealing with that person is the last thing you feel like doing, trying to build an amicable relationship with that person is the best thing you can do for your children. Here are a few helpful tips to co-parenting after divorce:
Don’t let feelings dictate behavior. Emotions can easily get the best of even the most rational individuals. In contentious situations, they may dominate your actions, leaving you feeling regretful about something you said or did. Remember: always keep your child away from these kinds of conversations.
Mind your tone. To reduce the risk of instigating conflict with your co-parent, try and keep a professional tone when corresponding face-to-face or in writing. Think of your ex as a partner in parenting, and address them as you would address a work colleague.
Stay in touch. In order to build a more positive, working relationship with your co-parent, it is important not to ignore one another. Make a plan to consistently stay in touch with each other about your child. This will help you both to stay on the same page about how you are parenting your child, and it will hopefully make dealing with each other easier overall if you are used to talking.
Keep your child at the center, not in the middle. Your child’s well being should be your number one focus in every decision you and your co-parent make. While it is important to keep their best interests in the center, do not put them in the middle of your issues with your ex. You should not use your child as a middleman or messenger in your correspondence with your co-parent.