On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, June 15, 2016.
A successful co-parenting relationship may be the furthest thing on your mind as you prepare to get divorced, but it should be. Family court judges in Washington have an expectation of divorcing parents, and those who do not live up to it run the risk of jeopardizing their ongoing relationship with their children. Even worse, the children may be permanently affected by the ongoing war between parents.
As dire as it may sound, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are several things that parents can do to make a broken romantic relationship work as a co-parenting relationship.
Winning isn’t everything – Some marriages and relationships do not survive because each parent is constantly trying to get the upper hand; either by winning an argument or getting their way. In a successful co-parenting relationship, winning isn’t everything. In fact, it often sabotages the relationship.
Don’t use kids as pawns – You may not see it as a parent, and you may not think about it with your decision-making, but kids don’t like to be in the middle of a battle between parents. So they are uncomfortable choosing sides even though they will do what they can to please you.
Be flexible – A parent has continual issues with being on time can drive you crazy. However, tardiness, by itself, should not be a reason to withhold parenting time. With that said, it is helpful in a co-parenting relationship to be flexible and be able to alter plans when need be.
There are additional ways to make such a relationship work, despite your differences. For information and advice on how to do so, an experienced family law attorney can help.
