Four Ways to Make Co-Parenting Easier

Parenting is a challenging job under the best of circumstances, but if you and your children’s other parent are divorced or separated, it becomes even more difficult and complex. Even if you and your ex are on good terms, coordinating different schedules can become difficult. If you and your ex are not on good terms, dealing with all of the issues concerning your children can become extremely challenging. 

Fortunately, there are some tips and strategies that can help you tackle co-parenting. If you have specific questions or concerns related to your child custody terms, do not wait to discuss them with an experienced Illinois child custody attorney.

1. Get Organized

One of the most difficult aspects of co-parenting is managing all the information that comes your way and making sure that the decisions that need to get made for your children are made at the right time. Many kids today have busy schedules, and getting to and from their activities, particularly if you have more than one child, can raise difficult scheduling and coordination issues. When you fold in all the other demands you face as a parent, it can seem overwhelming at times. 

If you and your ex are able to work together – or at least collaborate on an app – there’s help available in the form of electronic scheduling tools. These apps are designed to allow both of you to enter scheduling information and even to communicate with one another in a neutral space. Once you have all the information in one spot, it can make an immense difference in terms of keeping scheduling issues at bay. It also creates a record of your communications that is easy to access and monitor.

2. Communicate Openly

Some divorced parents have no trouble communicating and spending time together if needed, and others have a challenging time even being in the same room. Whatever your situation, effective co-parenting requires clear and timely communication. No matter how organized you are and how meticulously you maintain your schedule, obstacles and difficulties can arise. These can include the following: 

• Someone’s schedule changes due to work,
• If one of the parents or a child gets sick,
• A conflicting event arises. 

Quick and clear communication is needed in these situations. While phone calls are quick, they do not leave a record of what was discussed and can lead to disputes and recriminations. Communicating by text is an option, but working with text communications can become difficult. Using email or a co-parenting app can help you communicate in a way that is clear and efficient. Having a record of what was discussed and agreed upon that is easy to reference can help prevent disputes that may eventually require court intervention.

3. Remember That Your Children Love You Both

You and your ex may have a complicated or even hostile relationship, but it is important to remember that your children love you both. It is important for both parents to put aside their differences when they discuss the needs of their children and work on scheduling issues. Children love both of their parents, and studies have repeatedly shown that it is extremely stressful and harmful to children to put them in the middle of a dispute between their parents. Unfortunately, when parents cannot work with one another, the children suffer the most. 

4. Be Flexible

Having a good custody and parenting agreement plays a significant role in preventing disputes, which is why it’s so important to have qualified representation and seek a favorable agreement during divorce or custody proceedings. 

But even the best parenting agreement cannot anticipate every situation you will face as a parent. Plans sometimes get upended, and flexibility is important when the parenting agreement does not fully resolve the problem. Keeping your focus on the children and their needs is a critical first step. The next key step is having a clear and efficient way to communicate with your ex. 

Reach Out to an Experienced Illinois Parenting Rights Attorney Today

The compassionate child custody attorneys at Hammer Serna & Quinn, LLC, dedicate their practice to resolving tough family law issues. We’ve helped many parents like you obtain parenting arrangements that work for them and help them become the successful co-parents they want to be. For more information, contact us today.