Some people who are going through a divorce look forward to the day when they don’t ever have to interact; however, that’s not possible for parents who share children. In those cases, the focus has to shift to learning how to minimize the chance of your ex becoming combative or unreasonable.
Effective communication as a co-parent doesn’t require you and your ex to have a close relationship with each other. Instead, you should discuss things related to the children and leave everything else alone.
Choose a communication style
One of the first things you and your ex need to decide is how you’ll communicate. This could be through phone calls, emails, text messages or an external parenting app. While you’re discussing the rules for communication, be sure to think about what time communication is allowable. For example, you and your ex may decide that there’s a 15-minute buffer for answering messages.
Commit to direct communication
You and your ex should communicate directly. It might be tempting to have the children pass messages back and forth, but that’s never a good idea. When children pass messages, it makes it seem as though they have to choose sides between you and your ex. If communicating directly is leading to issues, consider a parenting app that keeps track of these conversations so they court can review them if needed.
It’s a good idea to have communication terms put into the parenting plan. This ensures both parties fully understand what they’re rights and responsibilities. It may help to bring in someone familiar with these matters for assistance as you determine the cost.
