Summary: Co-Parenting In this episode of the Surviving Divorce Podcast I discuss co-parenting, why it's a good idea and when it's not a good idea. Why You Should Co-Parent With Your Ex: Children need both parents involved in their lives. They need both a mom's perspective and a dad's perspective. Mother's tend to be more nurturing and Dad's tend to be the disciplinarian. That's not always the case and some of you may accuse me of stereotyping, but kids really do need both genders involved in there lives in a positive way Co-parenting can help you present a united front to your kids. Kids will push the boundaries and often try to play parents against each other. This even happens in in-tact families but can be even more of an issue for divorced parents. Keeping major rules and expectations consistent between households can help your children feel stable and less confused. Bedtimes for younger children should be the same and routines for things such and homework and chores should be as similar as possible. Working together on financial needs and parenting schedules can also help children feel secure. It's often said that divorce turns a marriage into a business arrangement, but when it comes to the kids, their needs should come first. Being flexible with visitations schedules can make everyone feel more comfortable and can ease the stress of having two homes. When Co-Parenting is Not a Good Idea If your ex has a history of abuse, has court ordered supervised visitation, or is mentally unstable then trying to keep them involved can do more harm than good. In this case, stick to the court ordered arrangements and try not to put your ex down in front of your children. Also, if your ex just doesn't want to be involved there isn't much you can do. You can't push a rope. You still need to try, but if they just don't want to be involved then there isn't much you can do. iTunes Please consider leaving a review and rating on iTunes for the podcast. This will help keep it visible so others can find it. Questions / Comments If you have a question or comment you can call the listener feedback line at 347-433-7664 or just click the feedback link to the right and use your computer's microphone. I will try to answer questions on the air. You can also leave a comment below.
