Successful co-parenting is possible with the right approach

Have you recently gone through the divorce process? Were you finally able to put your child custody dispute in the past? Do you now need to turn your attention to the future?

Just because your marriage is in the past doesn’t mean that you won’t have any communication with your ex-spouse. This is particularly true if you have a child with this person.

At first, successful co-parenting may seem impossible. You realize that every time you speak with your ex-spouse it results in a fight, which has you wondering what will come next in regards to your approach to parenting.

Fortunately, successful co-parenting is possible if you put sufficient effort into it. It’s not always easy, but there are things you can do to position yourself for success:

Think about the impact on your ex-spouse. Even if you no longer have any feelings for this person, you can still put yourself in his or her shoes. This will go a long way in helping you make better co-parenting decisions.
Be flexible when possible. You want to stick to your parenting agreement to the best of your ability, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be flexible every now and again. There will be times when you need to change your schedule, so don’t hesitate to do so in an attempt to accommodate your ex-spouse.
Don’t argue about everything. There will be times when you have disagreements and need to work through them. There are also times when you can let something slide, as it’s better than starting an argument. Choose your battles wisely.
Open the lines of communication. This is easier said than done, especially after a messy divorce, but it’s an absolute must when co-parenting. It doesn’t matter if you communicate in person, over the phone, or via email or text, find something that works and stick with it.
Be respectful of your ex-spouse’s time with your child. You don’t want to constantly get in the way when your ex-spouse is spending time with your child, as this will lead to more harm than good.

As you get started co-parenting, you may have questions and concerns, but all of these can be put to rest as time goes by. As long as you know what’s expected of you, it’s possible to stay on track and to actually enjoy the co-parenting process.