As a divorcing parent, you must figure out how to continue meeting your child’s needs and serving their best interest while also navigating your own personal relationship with your co-parent. Unfortunately, matters in these cases are not always clear-cut.
For example, experts often suggest shared custody, saying that it benefits children more than sole custody. But what happens if you and your co-parent can barely stand in the same room without erupting into arguments?
What is parallel parenting?
For you, parallel parenting might come in handy here. Psychology Today discusses parallel parenting and how it works for divorced couples. Parallel parenting serves as a form of post-divorce parenting that allows your child to reap the benefits of a two-parent home, while also minimizing the chance of them witnessing their parents come into conflict. It does so by barring you and your co-parent from any form of contact that is not written.
The benefit of written communication
In short, you will communicate via text messages on your phone, over email, or even through third-party instant messaging applications. You can even reply to each other through written letters, or by keeping a notebook which travels with your child to and from each parent’s home. You can record the details of visitation within it, keeping each other up to date without face-to-face meetings.
If you do not have to see each other in person, you may find it easier to stomach the notion of cooperating. Speaking through text alone also gives you the time and space you need to step back before arguments begin or reach a boiling point. This promotes a sense of harmony and benefits every party involved.
