You may be one of many Colorado families who will spend this year’s summer adapting to a new lifestyle after divorce. As a parent of several children, you’re likely experiencing various levels of anxiety regarding your continuing relationship with your former spouse as a co-parent. Even though you chose to untie your marital knot, you know you will always be connected to your former spouse because of your children. The parenting plan horror stories others have told you have you feeling a little nervous about your own future.
There’s a whole list of common problems many parents face when they divorce that are not always easily resolved. As you prepare to create new memories and help your children move forward to a happy, successful future, you’ll likely fare best if you know your rights and think ahead to create possible solutions for potential problems that may arise.
Travel, hearsay and negative surprises cause many parents stress
You and your children’s other parent obviously want to keep the kids’ best interests at heart as you align forces to help them adjust to post-divorce lifestyles. Going from living under the same roof to separate households is a significant change that can be extremely stressful. Avoiding the following problematic issues can set the stage for a smoother transition:
- Extensive travel between houses: Most children enjoy traveling with their parents, but not many want to be forced to ride long distances, back and forth on a regular basis just to see their parents. This type of disruption in daily routine causes frustration and upset to many children when their parents divorce. It’s typically better if parents are able to find homes within reasonable distances of each other to help alleviate travel stress.
- Acting out when rumors circulate: Chances are, you’re going to hear negative things at some time or another about your former spouse. When hearsay involves your children, however, it’s generally best to seek confirmation of a rumor before lashing out to attack their other parent. If someone tells you something that seems to conflict with your parenting agreement, it’s best to discuss the matter with your former spouse rather than accepting rumor as truth.
- Lack of courtesy: It’s true you are not obligated to share every aspect of your private life with your former spouse, but it’s never nice to be the last to know something when it’s going to affect the lives of all involved. If either parent enters a new relationship or gets married, etc., it’s typically best to inform the former spouse first, to avoid the hard feelings that may arise if he or she hears about it through a third party.
Parenting is a rewarding yet challenging experience. Parenting after divorce can be complicated, especially if there’s a communication breakdown between former spouses. Children are obviously impacted by such situations; so, it’s typically best to resolve problems that arise regarding custody, visitation or other parenting issues as quickly as possible.
Enlisting assistance from an experienced family law attorney is a good way to go when seeking fair and agreeable solutions to post-divorce parenting plan problems.