The World of Co-Parenting

There are many kinds of co-parenting relationships and the nature of your co-parenting relationship will depend on many factors, most important of which is how well you and the other parent can get along. Some parents are able to interact quite easily while others find this difficult. If you have a strained relationship with your co-parent, try some of the following tips to make this easier on you both.

• In the beginning, keep meetings between you and the other parent relatively formal by meeting in a neutral location (for example, a coffee shop) and have a list of issues for discussion.
• Don’t expect too much from each other. Try hashing out a plan on moving forward that you can mutually agree on and amend it as you go, if needed.
• Avoid getting emotionally involved with one another by sharing personal information…unless it is related to parenting.
• Don’t read too much into emails and texts. Someone whose texts or emails seem angry or sarcastic may not mean for them to come across that way.
• Find a form of communication that works best for both of you. If you find that emails or texts are being misconstrued you may decide that picking up the phone is best.

The more you move forward into the co-parenting world, it becomes obvious that you will both need to work at forming a new relationship as co-parents. Read my new article to help overcome some of the bumps that may lie in the road ahead.