Article

Co-Parenting

Co-Parenting

Parenting is tough and if you are parenting, we know how hard you work to care for the needs of your little one(s). When both parents are on the same page and share life together it is still an incredibly hard life-long journey to raise a child. Parenting is even more tricky when parents are not in a relationship or on the same page. We understand that this may not have been how your parenting plan initially looked when you dreamed of being a parent. Even if this wasn’t the initial plan, you can still do a lot to provide a healthy environment for your child to grow and have secure attachments.  

Mind Your Words: Kids are like sponges and they pick up on everything. They pick up your patterns, your habits, your words, and also how you’re feeling. If you are co-parenting be mindful of what you say about your child’s other parent. It can cause confusion, hurt, and doubt for children to think their parents are angry and upset with each other. While your own personal frustration and hurt with your child’s other parent comes from a real place, do what you can to keep those negative emotions and words away from your child.  

Over Communicate: Many times when feelings are hurt and people get frustrated, the issue is rooted in expectations being unmet or intentions being unclear. Being clear and kind with your words can help avoid some conflict and help co-parenting go smoother. If you feel fights arise after texting with your child’s other parent, try other ways to communicate to leave less room for incorrect interpretation or misunderstanding such as calling on the phone or having conversations in-person.  

Expand Your Healthy Community: It is crucial to have good, healthy support when raising kids. You’ve probably heard the phrase it takes a village to raise a child and it is absolutely true. We aren’t meant to live life alone, and we certainly aren’t meant to parent alone or without good support. If you’re finding yourself without good, healthy people in your corner, let us help get you connected with some people who want the absolute best for you and your family! Healthy community can look like moms or dads groups, getting involved with a local church, etc.  

If you are in a place where you haven’t co-parented well and you find yourself wishing you’d made different choices, it’s not too late to begin practicing new habits to have a healthier co-parenting relationship. Even if you’ve made some mistakes, you don’t have to be defined by them and can grow to be even more the parent you desire to be.

CO-PARENTING