Tips on How to Effectively Co-Parent After Divorce

To ensure the success of your family’s relationship post-divorce, it is important to place your children first and to develop guidelines for co-parenting that are amicable for both of you. This will create a positive experience for your kids during your divorce. Co-parenting successfully can be extremely healing for your children to see, no matter their age.

When you divorce through the collaborative divorce process, our mental health professionals and child specialists will often recommend these tips to help you and your spouse co-parent successfully:

• Don’t disparage your ex-partner in front of your children
• Include holidays, school breaks, and vacations in your visitation schedule during the divorce process
• Know what is important to you when it comes to parenting your child
• Encourage your child to express their concerns and build trust
• Create a schedule that is consistent with your daily tasks
• Even if they don’t show you love, you can still show them that you care every day
• Positive methods of behavior management are often more effective than punitive ones
• Show a united front when you have issues or concerns with your ex
• … and most importantly, do not use your children as pawns to gain love or favor

Children Are Harmed When Parents:

• Encourage children to choose between them
• Criticize the other parent in the child’s range of hearing
• Seek information about the other parent from the child
• Make promises they do not keep
• Involve the child in the court process or share legal information
• Withhold access to the child for any reason unless there are safety concerns
• Attempt to form an alliance with the child against the other parent

Remember, when you and your spouse start co-parenting, it will be hard and most likely very awkward, but over time it will improve and find a rhythm.

The collaborative divorce process provides couples with a team of divorce experts that work together with both of you to determine how your divorce may emotionally impact your children for years to come.

Utilizing the Los Angeles Consensual Dispute Resolution Family Law Association can ease your anxiety and stress because you will know that when your divorce is finalized, each party involved, including your children, will have worked with experts who were invested in the longevity of your family unit.

Call us today if you would like to learn more about how our members at the Los Angeles Consensual Dispute Resolution Family Law Association can help your family through divorce.

Note: This information is general in nature and should not be construed as legal/financial/tax/or mental health advice. You should work with your attorney, financial, mental health or tax professional to determine what will work best for your situation.