Co-parenting assessment.

It’s More of a Journey than a Destination

Parents entering into successful co-parenting relationships after divorce perhaps best define its benefit from the positive effect it has on their children. Co-parenting requires that each parent listen, understand and respond to one another. Co-parenting relationships constantly work in progress.

Many parents will fall into a parallel parenting structure, following the parenting plans in their order. In the short-term following court orders allows each parent to go their separate way. Parallel parenting requires little need for the parents to communicate.

Many parallel parenting agreements require future court interventions, meaning parents are back in court litigating issues concerning their children.

1. Lack of Communication: Parents stop communicating, relying on falling simply on the rules imposed by their parenting plan. In life, things change.

2. Changing needs - The parenting plans become unworkable when parent’s/children’s needs change. Revising the parenting plan will require court intervention.

Conflict parenting is defined by seeking court relief to obtain your rights and duties. Attorneys will typically ask their clients to STOP COMMUNICATING with their child's other parent. Parents seek court intervention for a variety of reasons:

1. Lack of other adequate remedies

2. The need to protect the child from immediate harm,

3. frustration with other alternative dispute resolution processes. (bad experience at mediation)

Parenting relationships are more about the journey than the destination.