When going through a divorce as a parent, your priorities will always center on your child. However, it is still important to reach conclusions that both you and your co-parent can abide by. For example, shared parenting may not seem a realistic option for you at the start of your post-divorce life, even if experts say it is better for your child.
Fortunately, options like parallel parenting exist. This form of custody may help you get through the worst of your post-divorce stage as smoothly as possible.
Having space to recover
According to Psychology Today, parallel parenting may meet your needs as parents while serving in your child’s best interest. It allows you and your co-parent to have some distance in the immediate aftermath of the divorce, which often gives you the time and space you need to recover. However, you both get to enjoy continued involvement in your child’s life.
The main benefit that parallel parenting offers is a lack of in-person communication. With this option, you and your co-parent will communicate through text only. This can include instant messaging services, text messages, emails or even written communication like letters.
It is even possible to avoid conversations entirely. For example, you can keep a log of updates about your child in a notebook and pass it to your co-parent when your child goes to visit them. This lets you both stay in the loop without direct communication.
Court reevaluations
Courts will evaluate the state of your relationship over time and determine when it is appropriate to shift to more cooperative parenting methods. But in the beginning, parallel parenting can stop a lot of quarrels before they start and build a better foundation for co-parenting in the future.
