Co-Parenting for Your Children

Co-parenting for your children can be a more difficult task than we expect.  Because co-parenting for your children is about them, not us, we asked a divorce specialist to answer some questions to help newly divorced moms create balance and a strong foundation for their children throughout the divorce process. See what she suggests:

Co-Parenting For Your Children

Q: What are some tips you can provide newly divorced Moms to help them make the transition to a two-home family?

Meeting your own emotional needs is a vital component to co-parenting success. Take advantage of available resources to deal with negative feelings, such as anger or animosity, away from your children.

Some strategies include talking to other divorced parents, seeking counseling or joining a support group. Raising healthy, well-adjusted children is any parent’s ultimate goal – married or divorced. You are each doing your part to make that goal a reality when you can work together effectively.

Q: How can they reinforce the love for their children and empower them with valuable life lessons through this difficult time?

Co-parenting is all about balance. The key is to make common goals for your children the top priority.  Also to keep negative feelings for each other under control.

Respect is another important factor.  This means respect for the other parent’s time with the children, as well as what they have to offer as a parent. While it may be tough, much of a child’s ability to bounce back post-divorce is directly linked to how well parents can handle the situation.

Keep in mind that successfully co-parented children enjoy stability and have healthy relationships with mom *and* dad. In addition, they rarely feel torn between or abandoned by their parents.  They seldom experience pressure to meet a parent’s social or emotional needs.

Written by:  Linda Sorg Ostovitz, A founding partner of Silverstein & Ostovitz, mddivorce.com