Let’s be honest: Raising children can be a challenge for parents who live under the same roof. So, imagine the challenges that arise when there are two homes, different parenting styles and a lack of communication. Are you pulling your hair out yet? You are not alone in your fears, emotions and navigating uncharted waters. There are professionals out there that can help you, so take advantage of that resource. This is when a co-parenting coach becomes the MVP of your newly structured family.
Every family’s needs are different, so your coach will tailor-make your game plan. However, these are some of the areas you can expect to work on:
- Adjusting to different parenting styles
- Communication
- Helping your child transition from one to two homes
- Organization and scheduling
- Conflict management
- Identifying and prioritizing concerns
- Stress management
- Long-term solutions and not just putting out fires
- Managing emotions
- Ways to restructure the family
- Working through your emotions, concerns and dynamics of being a single parent
- Ongoing support (i.e., new partners, significant family events)
So, the question arises: What happens if one spouse is not interested in co-parenting? Unfortunately, that scenario happens quite a bit; but the co-parenting coach can still help the one parent with all of the above, along with acceptance of the situation and strategies on how to now shift from co-parenting to parallel parenting. The key is to be proactive. Meet with a co-parenting coach at the start of your divorce to discuss any concerns you have. In other words, don’t wait until the horse is out of the barn to shut the door.