Your child will still need both parents after the divorce

Co-parenting is often an ideal situation for children because they get to have both of their parents closely involved in every aspect of life. For the parents, this can be a rather trying time because of the former emotional ties they had with each other. Switching from being romantically involved to focusing only on raising children isn’t always easy.

Co-parenting will take work from both adults. There are several things that you can do to bolster the chance of success.

Focus only on the children

It might be difficult, especially in the beginning or if your ex has a new romantic interest, but you can’t let your emotions get the best of you. Your sole focus with your ex is now raising the children. It doesn’t matter if they’re seeing someone else as long as it’s not putting the kids in danger.

Coordinate activities and schedules

A big part of co-parenting is working together to get the children what they need. Instead of focusing on having a very rigid schedule, you should work as a team to find out who can help out when with the children. Being able to do this shows the children that they have parents who are willing to put them first and support them.

Make sure that you have the children’s best interests in mind when you make any decisions. Neither adult should be self-serving because that can directly conflict with what the children need. Your parenting plan should address the common issues that are likely to manifest as you co-parent. Think of this as a roadmap that you will follow and plan accordingly. It’s possible that you may have to get creative to get everything set up in a way that benefits the kids.