During the divorce process, we often focus on our post-divorce lives, our second chances and getting away from a miserable marriage. However, when children are involved, unfortunately, that means that our soon-to-be ex-spouse will still be in our lives for years to come. But, through co-parenting, Prince William County ex-spouses can successfully parent, post-divorce.
Childcare will look different
The first thing to realize and accept is that how we raise our children will change post-divorce. This is because the parents are no longer parenting at the same time, and there is usually a change of home for the child. Often, one family home will become two, separate homes with each parent. These are big changes, so accepting this early on will help, and helping the children through this transition will also help.
Stability
While there must be changes post-divorce, both Fairfax County parents should seek to find some stability between the child’s pre- and post-divorce life. For some couples, this can mean nesting or home sharing, where the couple maintains the family home for the children, and the parents move in and out. For others, it could mean one of the parents staying in the same school district to make sure that the child can stay with their friends. In planning co-parenting activities, always make decisions with an eye towards creating this kind of stability.
Family traditions
Speaking of stability, one easy way to maintain stability is to keep Arlington County family traditions post-divorce. This could mean eating special dishes during special times, spending some holidays with the ex-spouse or their family, etc.
Be consistent and stick to plans
Another key to successfully co-parenting is to make plans well ahead of time on how Loudoun County parents will handle co-parenting responsibilities, and once those plans are made, stick to them. This means that if the parents have agreed that the child will spend their birthday with one spouse, do not then fight to change that later. Being consistent and sticking to agreed-upon plans is key. Otherwise, any goodwill and amicability that either spouse has can quickly disappear making co-parenting much harder. And, if there is no goodwill and amicability left, the Washington, D.C., metro area lawyers and judges will likely have to get involved again.
