Sometimes marriages just don’t last and end up in divorce. And while those times can be stressful on everyone, it is important to stay level headed around children and to not use children as a weapon against an ex spouse.
If at all possible, co-parenting is a great option for raising children after a divorce. With co-parenting, each parent has an active role and is for the most part in agreement on how to raise the children.
And while it may sound difficult to come to these agreements with a soon-to-be ex spouse, according to the Mayo Clinic, children are normally able to adapt better to the divorce if the parents are civil to one another.
However, simply coming to an agreement on parenting is not all there is to it. Rather, it is important that neither of the parents use parental alienation against each other, and that children have consistency between both of their parent’s home. This way, the child feels safe and secure, and in many cases the family unit will still continue to stay strong.
Keeping all of this advice in mind, one way to help with co-parenting is to actually sit down and create a parenting plan. In the state of Missouri, this is actually mandatory for any couple that is getting a divorce that also has children.
The point behind a parenting plan is to create a stable and healthy environment for children of parents who will be living in separate home, either due to divorce or separation from never being married.
And while these plans have the best intentions – to decide on decision making rights and responsibilities, healthcare costs and other big life decisions – for some Missouri parents who are truly still not able to get along, it may be hard to agree. However, for those parents help available for them to be able to come to terms with the parenting plan before it is approved by the courts.
Source: Post Crescent, “Exes take the lead in successful co-parenting after divorce,” Cheryl Anderson, 5 Feb 2011
