The last person you may want to hear from after a divorce in Texas is your former spouse. However, if you have children with them, your ex will remain part of your life. The best way to avoid conflict may be to adopt a new style of parallel parenting. This is an arrangement that can allow you to co-parent your children peacefully.
What is parallel parenting?
Child custody issues can cause even the most amicable split to become contentious. You can look at parallel parenting as a short-term or long-term solution. The idea is that both parents have certain duties and responsibilities in their children’s lives. They agree to carry out these duties while maintaining as little contact between them as possible.
Some parents can agree on sharing these duties. They can even agree on the general direction in which they would like the parenting of their children to proceed. They don’t care to see or speak to each other anymore. Parallel parenting can thus preserve the mutual plan for child rearing while allowing them to live separate lives.
Parallel parenting is an attractive solution for people who want to make a clear break in their post-married lives. At the same time, it also allows you to meet your children’s needs. While not for everyone, this is a solution that is worth exploring.
How does parallel parenting affect custody?
Issues involving the custody of your children can sometimes prove very difficult to solve. These are issues that need to be decided in advance before your divorce is finalized. A fully workable parallel parenting solution can also be devised simultaneously. These two arrangements can intersect to give both parties maximum flexibility.
The sooner you can agree on basic custody issues, the better. This will give you a chance to agree and adhere to a plan that puts your children’s needs foremost. It allows them to thrive and grow while allowing you to live your private lives.