When you divorce, it is expected that you will both continue parenting your child. The exact balance is up for negotiation, but, unless a court deems it necessary to exclude one parent from the child’s life for safety reasons, both parents must work together to raise their child.
Yet, sometimes, cooperation is not going to happen. Parents can fall out so badly that they can’t even communicate with each other to make vital decisions for their children.
This is where parallel parenting comes in
Parallel parenting allows you to both work toward the same goal – raising a well-rounded and happy child – but to each do it in your own way. Rather than trying to reach a happy medium; you agree to disagree.
You parent your child in your way, and your spouse will parent them in the way they see best. This appears to run contrary to all the advice that says children of divorced parents need consistency of rules. While it is, it will be easier for them to deal with that, than deal with two parents who are constantly arguing about everything concerning them.
Children already live with various sets of rules, as it is. For instance, they know that in the classroom they need to ask permission to go to the bathroom, whereas at home they just go whenever they need. Or, they know that certain language is fine around their friends, but not with their elderly aunt. They can adjust to parallel parenting styles, probably better than most people realize.
There are many ways to handle child custody. Exploring all the options can help you find a solution that’s right for your situation.