When your Washington marriage or romantic relationship runs its course and you and your former partner share a child, you may have to learn to co-parent with one another if you both wish to remain an active part of your child’s life. Adjusting to a new co-parenting relationship takes time and effort, but there are certain steps you might take to help make the adjustment easier on everyone.
Per Medical News Today, here are three tips for making your co-parenting relationship more successful.
1. Learn to compromise
While children often benefit from having a routine, times are inevitably going to arise when your ex needs to switch schedules or otherwise stray from some part of your parenting plan. The more flexible you are when this occurs, the more likely your ex is going to be to accommodate you when your own need arises.
2. Avoid speaking ill of your former partner
Regardless of your personal feelings about your former partner, be sure to avoid speaking negatively about him or her in front of the child you share. Doing so puts your child in an uncomfortable position, and it may hurt the relationship between your child and your ex – or you and your child.
3. Figure out how to effectively communicate
It benefits your child when you and your ex learn to communicate. For starters, it helps avoid your child trying to “get away” with things in one home without the other parent finding out. It also makes it easier to resolve conflicts or communicate with your child while he or she is staying in your ex’s home.
Learning to co-parent well helps reduce stress and conflict, but, more importantly, it also helps your child adjust to his or her new life, post-divorce or breakup.
