Co-Parenting Tips to Help Your Kids
When both partners have the ability to co-parent civilly, it creates an ideally more harmonious environment for the children. However, there are many challenges that come along with co-parenting and ensuring the children are able to navigate through living in two different homes. It is important to establish clear routines in both homes so that the children do not feel as though all of their belongings are scattered between both homes. Creating clear expectations and routines can help reduce stress and anxiety among the children and help them to become accustomed to the transitions they are experiencing.
Depending on the schedule that has been worked out, children may spend every other day with one parent or a few days at a time. Here are my top co-parenting tips to help your kids successfully split their time between two residences:
1. If possible, have sets of clothes and basic necessities at each home. This way children do not have to constantly be packing bags and shuffling their belongings from house to house.
2. Clearly communicate with each other regarding routines and expectations. The more similar the routines and expectations are, the easier the transitions from house to house will be.
3. Depending on the arranged schedule, try to allow the children time to have “fun” with each parent. If one parent is always only attending to the children when it is time for school or activities, and the other parent always gets to take them to the movies or the park, this can create resentment and harbor ill feelings.
4. Create a clear plan for completing homework and other school related responsibilities. Ensure that the children have what they need for the next school day and that homework has been completed the night before.
5. Try not to use the children as each other’s messenger. While it may be difficult to communicate with one another, try to develop a plan not to involve the children when relaying information to one another.
There is no perfect plan to try to navigate through this and it may take a while for things to run smoothly and to have a routine that works for everyone. It is important to try to keep the children at the forefront of every plan and communication, and hopefully that will keep clear communication among all parties involved.