While most people in Pennsylvania understand that co-parenting is the most positive approach to take with children after a divorce, it is also well understood that working with a difficult ex can be quite a challenge. If you are in the position of working with a difficult ex in a co-parenting situation, it is still possible to make the situation work. According to Divorce Mag, the most important thing is to ensure consistency for your children.
It is very common for parents to feel guilty after a divorce. This may lead to you wishing to be more relaxed on certain boundaries like bedtime. However, children thrive with specific boundaries in place, so it is important that you stick to these boundaries. It is natural to want to be the “fun” parent; however, this will likely harm your children in the long run.
Another important component to co-parenting is not to criticize the other parent behind their back. While you may have a negative relationship with your ex-spouse (and this is understandable), it is important to keep these opinions to appropriate audiences. Namely, you should never say anything negative about your ex-spouse in front of your child.
Regardless of what led to your divorce, the reality is that you and your ex-spouse are going to be team members in raising your children. This means that you will need to communicate with him or her often. You will need to come up with a good means of doing this. Phone calls can work for some people, but if your relationship with your ex-spouse is particularly contentious, you may need to rely on email or text or a less personal option. This is up to you, but it is important to make these decisions and set expectations.
