You may have never thought divorce was in your cards, but you’ve been slowly adjusting to life without your ex-spouse. Maybe you’re even feeling optimistic about your goals and sense of direction for the first time in a long time. But even if you are in high spirits, it’s important to make sure the needs of your children stay at the forefront of your radar.
Addressing your child’s physical and emotional needs is a two-way street. You should make positive parenting habits part of your daily routine, but also be in consistent communication with your ex to make sure they are holding up their end of the stick.
Check in with your children
Your children might have eaten wholesome meals, finished their homework and completed their chores all in a day’s work. These are all healthy habits, but your children could’ve also gone the whole day without an emotional check-in. Since divorce has shifted your child’s life around in several ways too, you can make sure they are alright through implementing a daily effort to ask them how they are doing. It can be difficult for divorced and non-divorced parents alike to manage their own job and schedule on top of taking care of their children. But if you stay in tune with your children in the mix of the balancing act of life, then you are on the right track.
Although regular conversation with your children is a must, there are some details you should spare them. Specifically, you shouldn’t involve your children in disagreements you have with your ex or speak negatively about your former partner in front of them. If your ex is fulfilling their co-parenting duties, paying child support on time and isn’t abusive in any sort of way, you shouldn’t taint your child’s relationship with their other parent.
Communicate with your ex
There is no perfect recipe for how to communicate with your ex-spouse and co-parent, but basic kindness can go a long way. You don’t have to be close friends with your ex, but small efforts to keep up well-mannered conversations will both help you stay positive and create a good example for your children to follow.
If speaking face-to-face tends to lead to arguments or is an uncomfortable situation overall, then you can consider using digital ways to communicate. You can do this through obvious measures like email, text message or social media. Downloading co-parenting apps that can help you organize and stick to your custody schedule and track expenses or documents you share because of your children is also an option.
When co-parenting quarrels seem beyond your control, you can seek legal assistance from a family law attorney to keep your child’s safety first.