Ways to better communicate with a co-parent

On Behalf of | Jun 26, 2022 | Child Custody

Sharing custody of your children with your ex might be difficult sometimes. Still, you know that getting along with your co-parent to raise your children takes precedence over your discomfort. If you keep relations amicable enough, you might even avoid costly legal battles over custody disputes.

Knowing how to better communicate with your former spouse may avoid opportunities for conflict while helping you to convey clearly what you want to say in a given situation. In the process, you might encourage your co-parent to remain civil with you.

Create boundaries for talks

Kiplinger explains that divorced parents can set standards for communicating before engaging in talks concerning their children. You and your ex could agree to not discuss certain personal issues. These may include:

  • The financial decisions of each parent
  • Recent expensive purchases or vacations
  • Any discussion of values held by each parent
  • Whether a parent has found a new significant other

Going into these topics could provoke criticism and arguments. Keeping them off limits means you and your co-parent can stick to issues important to your children.

Select a method of communication

If you and your ex are on good terms, talking in person may not be a problem. You could also chat on the phone if your situation does not allow for a meeting. However, if tension remains between the two of you, it may be better to send each other brief e-mails. There are also parenting apps that allow parents to send messages, set up schedules and track expenses for the children.

Working together with your ex for the good of your children may not be easy. Fortunately, advances in communication technology provide a variety of avenues to work out solutions with your ex even over long distances.