As divorcing parents trying to decide how to handle the aftermath of the split, it is important to consider your child’s well-being above all else. Sometimes this means making sacrifices, and sometimes it means cooperating even if you struggle to do so.
But you can use tools to help make the transition as smooth as possible, benefiting all parties involved. One of the most effective is parallel parenting.
Avoiding conflict post-divorce
Psychology Today states that parallel parenting can benefit everyone in a family with divorced parents. This is a form of co-parenting that involves both parents having a hand in raising their child while also avoiding direct contact with one another.
Specifically, instead of face-to-face or phone-based interactions, all interactions between co-parents will happen over text or writing. Some parents choose to communicate via email, through text or by chat programs. Others choose to communicate in writing, such as filling out a notebook with the events of visitation and sending the book back with their child to deliver it to their co-parent.
Benefits for your child
This provides your child with the support that having two parents can give. At the same time, it also protects them from the possibility of witnessing parental arguments or breakdown of communication between co-parents. Many children who witness their parents arguing describe it as a traumatic event, so you likely want to avoid this at all costs.
Consider contacting legal help to see whether parallel parenting could work for you. Though it is not a permanent solution, it can help you get started in an otherwise difficult post-divorce period.