There’s no question that co-parenting a child is challenging. While you may generally have a respectful and smooth relationship with your co-parent, you are bound to disagree at some point.
It can be helpful to know the most common topics co-parents disagree about and learn some tips on how to handle them.
Parenting time
One of the most basic topics involves parenting time itself. This means who your child lives with and when. If you do not have a custody order in place with an Indiana court, this might be the time to consider that option. If you do have a custody order and are still arguing, perhaps it is time for a change.
Appropriate types of punishment are another topic many co-parents disagree about. One parent could be more lenient, while another parent is strict. These differing parenting styles can confuse and overwhelm your child.
Talk with your co-parent about your differing styles but remember that you are not going to change them. Acknowledge that you have different ideas when it comes to punishment and develop strategies to address them.
Schoolwork
Children need routine and part of their routine involves schoolwork. However, you might prefer your child to do schoolwork after school and your co-parent may wait until after dinner. Additionally, both of you could have different thoughts on the value of education.
Overall, if your child is ultimately getting their schoolwork done, this might not be a major issue. But if your child regularly comes back without their schoolwork done, this issue should be addressed.
Find out what is causing the schoolwork to not get done. Attend parent-teacher conferences together, if possible, and talk about the problem.
Micromanaging
One of the toughest parts of co-parenting is giving up control of making decisions on behalf of your child when they are with your co-parent, but micromanaging your co-parent is not the answer. Remember that you both need to trust each other and that the main goal is keeping your child safe and healthy.
