Making Joint Parenting Work – Putting Children First in the Divorce Process
When a marriage breaks up and a divorce is on the horizon, 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 continuing to be actively involved in your children’s lives after the divorce by sharing parenting responsibilities with the ex-wife or ex-husband living under a separate roof. This also means that the ex-spouses do everything possible to have a friendly relationship for the sake of the children. Co-parenting plans are made during the divorce process. They must be clearly stated, they must be practical, and they must consider both households. Making joint parenting work helps children adjust better to divorce. This benefit to children has resulted in joint parenting becoming increasingly popular among divorced parents. Some states have even made it mandatory to develop a joint parenting plan during the divorce process.
When crafting a joint parenting agreement, it is essential to have clear lines of communication open between the former spouses. It is very important to come to an agreement together if the desired effect is to make co-parenting work. Other than that, the same parenting home rules apply to homes with shared parenting arrangements. Former spouses should respect each other and not complain about the other parent to 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 is 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.