Coping with custody challenges after divorce

 Posted on January 19, 2021 in Divorce

If you worry about parenting with your ex-spouse after divorce, consider taking a cooperative approach. Collaborating in the face of a challenging relationship will support the well-being of your children in this situation.

Try these strategies to handle coparenting issues after your marriage ends.

Create a parenting plan

When you and your former spouse agree on a parenting plan, you can tailor the custody schedule to your family's needs. Once you have a court-approved plan in place, avoid conflict by sticking to its provisions regarding communication, holiday and vacation time, parenting time, and transportation to and from visits.

Use technological tools

If you butt heads with your ex-spouse about the schedule, try getting on the same page with technology. Scheduling apps offer secure messaging and shared calendars so you can automatically transmit important details about your child's life. You can also upload documents such as medical records and report cards to a password-protected online drive.

Prepare to compromise

You will not win every argument about your kids, just as people who stay married might face these conflicts. As long as your children are happy and healthy, let go of the need to control the other parent's household. When a serious issue does arise, your former spouse will take you more seriously if you rarely raise objections about minor issues.

If you find that your parenting plan is not working or that you encounter conflicts you cannot solve, consider mediation to smooth the coparenting relationship. With this process, a professional mediator helps you come to an agreement about contentious parenting issues.