If you recently endured a contentious and hostile divorce, you may have some concerns regarding how you and your former spouse will approach your parenting duties. While co-parenting is ideal and beneficial for children, it is not always possible after a high-conflict situation. Therefore, parallel parenting might be the better option for you. Continue reading to learn more about it.
Parallel Parenting: The Basics
Unlike cooperative parenting, parallel parenting is designed to allow as little interaction as possible between parents. Essentially, you and your ex will raise your children separately. For any decisions that require your joint input, you will communicate through email in order to avoid any conflicts that may arise during a phone conversation or in-person meeting. Moreover, in all of your correspondence with one another, it is recommended that you use a business-like tone.
How you and your former spouse approach parallel parenting should be explicitly written in your parenting plan, so there are no misunderstandings as you move forward. In your parenting plan, you may assign certain duties to one parent. For example, one parent may be in charge of educational matters while the other may be responsible for healthcare decisions.
In some cases, once the dust settles, parents are able to set their differences aside and transition into cooperative parenting. If this happens, you can always adjust your parenting plan to reflect the changes in your parenting style.
Ultimately, parallel parenting might not be ideal for children, but it will spare them a tense and volatile environment, so you may want to consider this approach if you had a high-conflict divorce.
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If you are in the middle of a difficult family law matter, do not hesitate to retain skilled legal counsel. At Fait & DiLima, LLP, our knowledgeable team of attorneys is backed by more than 50 years of collective experience and a history of proven success. You can rely on our law firm to provide tailored solutions to address your needs and goals. When you choose to work with us, you can feel confident you will receive the best possible results for your family law case.
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