When parents create Parenting Plans, they develop a strategy for how their children will be parented in separate homes. Parenting Plans help parents document decisions around where the children will live, schedules for time spent with each parent, how decisions will be made as issues come up, and how to change the plan as children grow.
However, working with a parenting plan will not be easy if parents find it difficult or even impossible to communicate with each other. Research tells us that parents who are able to resolve differences on their own have on average 32 more contacts with each other per year than parents who turn to the legal system to help resolve conflict.
Learning to communicate (even when you would really rather not) is key to successful post separation/divorce parenting. It is a gift to the children, because they know their parents will work out differences without putting them in the middle of the situation. It’s also cost effective compared to returning to court or using lawyers to settle differences.
How can parents learn to communicate? Taking a business like approach and using “I” Messages are two effective strategies.
The University of Minnesota Extension Service – Parents Forever Program has developed a short on-line presentation Tips for Talking with Your Child’s Other Parent. It gives parents ways to communicate that help them overcome their personal differences in order to focus on caring for their children. |
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