Parents who are going through a divorce need to ensure that they have everything together for the children. This isn’t always easy to do because it requires that both parents work as a team despite the issues that led to their marital split.
There are some very specific mistakes that parents can make after they divorce. Avoiding those errors can help you to make things easier for the children and the parents alike:
Error: Trying to compete
Parents should work as a team to raise their children. There’s no room for competition between the parents. You shouldn’t try to one-up your ex by overindulging the children during your parenting time. Work on building deeper relationships with the kids, instead.
Error: Picking fights
Pick your battles very carefully when you’re trying to decide what you need to argue with your ex about. Let the small things go and focus more on the larger matters that have long-term consequences.
Error: Speaking ill of your ex
Even though you and your ex don’t get along, you have to decide that you’re going to make the situation work for the kids. One important thing to remember is that words can hurt, so don’t speak negatively of your ex to the children or around people who may tell them.
Taking the time to create your parenting plan is imperative. You have to think about what’s best for the children so you can ensure that’s in the plan. Try to get this done as quickly after the split as you can so the kids can start to adjust to what’s the normal way of life now. As you’re setting this plan, remember that you can change the terms in the future if the child’s needs change.