Co-parenting tips
Shared care is the hardest part of any separation, as not being able to see your children every day can leave a big hole in your heart. It’s an immense transition for you, your coparent and your children, so it will take time to adjust and find what works for everybody. Here are Divvito’s top co-parenting tips around shared care arrangements of the kids.
Communication will be the hardest thing you have to do as a co-parent. Here are Divvito’s top co-parenting tips for communicating about the kids. To make it easier to understand, we’re going to relate it to a game of football. To play the game, you need four things – two teams, rules, referees and a place to play. Without these, there is no game.
If you’re a parent dealing with a separation or divorce, we know how complicated life can be. Such an emotionally-charged, life-changing event has its personal challenges, but sometimes our emotional responses – anger, sadness and chilled indifference to our former half – have a greater impact on those we love. Our children.
You've just picked your kids up from school and your youngest enthusiastically demands they want to join the football team ... when only last week they wanted to join the chess club! "Ok honey, let's chat about this when we get home," is your immediate answer as what was once an easy decision becomes slightly more complicated now that you're separated! Negotiating with your ex can sometimes be like negotiating a convoy of aid through a war-torn country, so here are three tips to reaching an agreement on extra-curricular activities with your ex.
I was having a conversation with a mom the other day who had just separated and wanted to go for 100% custody of her two girls. My first question was, 'Is he a bad father? Is he an alcoholic, drug-user, or violent? 'No', was her answer, 'he just won't bring them up as well as I would!' What could I say? What should I say? 'Does he love them?' Her answer was, 'well yes of course ...
After having conversations with parents about how to manage children between two households, you soon realise that many parents are overwhelmed with what has to be discussed and organized with their ex to ensure everybody stays sane. An Australian support service, Relationships Australia, has produced a great parenting plan document that walks you though all the areas needing resolution, and is relevant to any family in any country. Here is a quick overview ...
Juggling becomes a refined craft when you become a single parent, so many of you would agree that super moms and dads are definitely single. Some days it feels like you're super Mario navigating a racetrack and just trying not to collide into anything. A typical weekday in a single parent household looks like this ...
We've all done it. Let our anger fly and throw a barrage of spiteful words at our partner in front of the kids. Even behind closed doors, we know they can hear everything, so why do we do it? ‘Children are like emotional Geiger counters,” says E. Mark Cummings, psychologist at Notre Dame University, who, along with colleagues, has published hundreds of papers over twenty years on the subject.
