If you’re a Florida parent who’s going through a divorce or is newly divorced, you likely have concerns about navigating co-parenting with your ex. If your divorce was messy and left you on bad terms with your ex, co-parenting effectively can be extra challenging. But for the sake of your children, you must do what you can to create a healthy home for them and provide for their needs. Prepare yourself for the challenges ahead by learning more about how to foster a healthy co-parenting relationship with your ex and how to minimize the stress of divorce on your children.
Co-parenting with a difficult ex
When a divorce ends badly, emotions can get in the way of making good decisions. No matter how your ex is behaving, it’s important for you to remember that your goal is to help your children adapt and thrive. It can be difficult, but you must remember that your children’s well-being is the top priority. You can’t control your ex’s actions, but you can control how you react.
Avoid putting your children in a situation where they hear you or someone else badmouthing their other parent. Children should not be forced to make decisions that may require them to choose one parent over the other. Your job as a parent is to work with your ex as much as possible to provide your kids with two loving environments where their needs are consistently met. Sometimes it takes one parent to be the bigger person so that the children don’t experience negativity between their divorced parents.
Working together
Being able to communicate with your ex is important as there may be times when schedules will change, or emergencies happen. If you can’t talk to each other without arguing, try communicating through text or email. These methods allow you to get the message across in a way that doesn’t reveal emotion, reducing the chance for heated arguments. Plus, if you have a custody issue in the future, email or text messages could be used as evidence in court.
Create a custody schedule that has all pertinent information related to parenting times, holidays and other events. Include details on how you will make decisions about medical care, education and other important matters. Prepare yourself to be flexible when changes must occur due to scheduling conflicts or other unforeseen circumstances.
Advice for divorced parents
Most Florida parents want the best for their children after a divorce, but they may disagree on how to proceed forward. If you’re dealing with child custody issues and your ex is not agreeable to your suggestions, seek legal help. Child custody issues can be challenging to work out, but getting those terms in writing is the first step in moving forward with your new life with your children.