Once you and your partner make the difficult decision to end your marriage, it’s important that you put together a plan that minimizes the impact on your children. Texas parents dealing with a divorce often want to co-parent but struggle to make that a reality. Remember these tips for co-parenting your children during and after your divorce.
Acknowledge their feelings
Your child needs and loves you, but he or she also needs and loves his or her other parent. Be sure that you acknowledge their feelings during the divorce. If they need extra time with their other parent, try to be flexible and open to their feelings.
Model respectable behavior
Every divorce, no matter how amicable, has the potential to turn ugly. After all, the dissolution of a marriage is the end of a dream that the two of you once shared.
Putting additional stress on your children by exposing them to fights and arguments is unfair to them. If you must argue with or confront your ex, do it without your children present.
Don’t use your children
Your children are not there to spy, carry messages, or serve as your sounding board. Many states have parental alienation laws that make weaponizing your children illegal. Don’t involve your children in adult situations, including your divorce.
Try to share special moments
Depending on the age of your children, you may have another decade of school dances, sporting events, and other moments ahead of you. If so, commit to sharing those moments with your ex amicably. Come to an agreement that allows both of you to be there for your child’s biggest moments.
Children of divorced parents can thrive and live healthy lives. However, committing to healthy co-parenting is an important part of making things easier for them.