Parents who split up still have to work together to make sure that their children still have the care they need. Co-parenting is one model for doing this. It enables both parents to be very involved with their children regularly. They become a team that shares the common goal of helping the kids thrive.
In many cases, co-parenting puts both the adults and the children at ease — but that goes out the window when one parent refuses to be cooperative or acts downright combative. This can make the situation very difficult to handle. Finding ways to ease the situation will become a priority for the parent who’s trying to make sure the children have what they need.
Focus on the children
The children should be the only focus. Never start to slip into thinking about the things that ended your marriage or what your ex is doing with his or her own life. Instead, the only thing that you should think about when it comes to your ex is what needs to happen for the children. If your ex insists on straying off-topic or gets verbally aggressive, end the conversation until your ex can get their emotions under control.
Step back a bit
When it comes down to it, there are only a few battles worth fighting in child custody. Those are the ones that have to do with the child’s safety and health. As long as the kids aren’t in danger, it might be best to just step back a bit so your ex won’t be able to pull you into fights.
The parenting plan you set up is one of the best tools you have at your disposal for a successful co-parenting relationship. If your ex refuses to follow the plan or continues to cause problems with the children, you may have to return to court to get things sorted out. Work with someone who can help you determine what options you have.
