Avoid Co-Parenting Pitfalls

It is very common for parents to have conflict regarding parenting issues within the first year of a co-parenting agreement or order. Parenting with your ex after a divorce or custody case is a challenge, but there are ways to avoid the courtroom revolving door. Staying away from these co-parenting pitfalls can help you manage your relationship without intervention.

• Ignoring the rules. Your co-parenting agreement is essentially a rule book for how you are going to work with each. If either of you ignores these rules, your parenting relationship will break down. Stick to the rules whenever possible.
• Miscommunication. So often the problems that land families back in court can be traced to miscommunication. It’s very important to be clear with each other, to be able to really listen, and to have open discussions that avoid arguments.
• Difficulty accepting change. A divorce changes the dynamics of your family. While the dynamics clearly weren’t working in your marriage, everyone was used to them. A divorce and co-parenting arrangement changes everything and may include a shift of power. It’s important to focus on what the current situation is and find ways to live with it.
• Lack of cooperation. When you get down to it, effective co-parenting requires cooperation. This means having a bit of flexibility, a bit of forgiveness, and a willingness to really work with each other. It may take a while to truly build cooperation and it may never be completely easy, but it is always worth the effort.

Call the Sampair Group for thoughtful, compassionate, and quality representation in your divorce, custody or custody modification case in Glendale, Mesa and Phoenix, Arizona.