When it comes to child custody, your parenting plan may depend on the relationship you have with your ex-spouse. According to WebMD, couples who go through a high-conflict divorce benefit from parallel parenting.
Parallel parenting, unlike co-parenting, allows the two of you to share parenting responsibilities with minimal interaction. While it may benefit your relationship, there are some challenges worth overcoming.
Communication
One of the highlights of parallel parenting is the lack of communication. If you cannot talk with your ex without arguing, you should keep interactions as brief as possible. However, you may also find it challenging to remain on the same page about your child’s needs if you never speak. To overcome the communication challenge, set up a way to talk early in the planning stage. Try to keep most conversations to text or email. Text communication allows you both to think about your responses and it also allows you to keep a record of everything you both say. Never respond to harassment or threats.
Consistency
Your children need consistency and stability in their lives. If you do not communicate with your ex, you may find it hard to stay consistent. You may want to consider having a book that travels between both parents. The book can include important schedules, developmental milestones, school progress, behavior, etc. In your parenting plan, the two of you need to outline precisely how you plan to raise your children, so you have minimal conflict.
If you have conflicts, you should always resort back to the parenting plan. While parallel parenting poses a challenge, it can be more beneficial for some families.