When you have children and are getting a divorce, child custody and parenting issues need to be addressed carefully. Many divorcing couples establish a co-parenting plan with shared child custody. While establishing a childcare plan with your ex-spouse can be difficult at first, it is possible to make it work in the long term when both sides remember to put the children first.
Find out more in this article about creating an amicable co-parenting plan. Then, contact our Naperville child custody lawyers at Keller Legal Services if you have child custody questions.
Collaborating with your ex effectively is the most critical thing to remember about setting up a co-parenting plan. The more the two of your squabble about childcare issues, the more stressful and expensive the divorce will be. Further, children who endure a catastrophic, argumentative divorce have much higher self-esteem problems, depression, and anxiety rates. They also are more likely to drop out of high school, which ensures long-lasting issues.
So, both parents should go into the co-parenting plan intending to work with each other to avoid pain for the children. Working well together on parenting also has the benefit of costing both parents less money.
You need to meet with your ex-spouse and set the ground rules for the plan. For example, if you had a messy divorce, there will need to be many details about who does what and when with the children. Every day matters to cover in a co-parenting plan include:
You and your ex-spouse are divorced, but your children are the priority, and need both of you to work together. One of the worst things to do when co-parenting is to insult your ex in front of the children. This is a no-win situation for the children, who will feel caught in the middle.
As parents, you need to set co-parenting rules but it helps to ease tensions by giving your children some control. For example, allow your children to take some things to the other parent’s home. If every item does not come back, it is ok. Giving the child some control over the situation will reassure them and offer security.
Child custody questions are one of the thorniest aspects of divorce. Where will the children live? Who will get primary custody? Who will pay child support, and how much?
With the help of a Naperville child custody lawyer, it is possible to work things out to your and your children’s benefit with a fair co-parenting plan. Please contact our Naperville child custody lawyers at 630-505-1515 for more information.
