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What is parallel parenting?

When going through divorce as a parent, you have more on your plate than childless couples, generally speaking. After all, you have to deal with matters like child support, visitation schedules and custody.

Speaking of custody, joint custody and heavy involvement in your co-parent’s life might not suit either of your needs. But what can you do if you and your co-parent simply do not wish to work together?

Creating a foundation with parallel parenting

Psychology Today looks at parallel parenting, which many co-parents turn to after a divorce. This style of co-parenting essentially allows you to share custody and responsibility for your child’s life while also maintaining a minimal amount of contact with one another.

This has several benefits. First, it helps your child, because it provides them with the sturdiness and support foundation that a two-parent lifestyle can provide. It also limits the amount of shock they have to deal with due to severe changes because they will still have both parents in their life.

Limiting the potential for confrontation

It also helps limit their exposure to potentially ugly confrontations and arguments that might otherwise occur between you and your co-parent, which often leave children of divorce with deep emotional and mental scars. No child needs to see their parents attack each other.

Parallel parenting provides you with the distance you need to approach the situation with a clear head. Though you may want to work in things like holidays or birthdays to maximize your child’s comforts and meet their needs, you otherwise will not have to deal with daily interactions and can instead rely on things like text-based communication to keep up to date on how visitations go. This is perfect for any parent who needs their space after a split.

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