Arizona Family Law Attorneys Help Couples Work Out Co-Parenting After Divorce
Scottsdale lawyers develop arrangements for cooperating in child rearing decisions
Divorce often disrupts the lives of children of the broken marriage, but it need not be the end of joint decision-making or cooperation in how children are brought up. At Clark & Schloss Family Law, P.C., we understand the benefits of co-parenting for children as well as parents and are ready to help you and your ex-spouse work to achieve them.
What is co-parenting?
Co-parenting involves parental discussion and cooperation in making decisions about how to raise children and in implementing those decisions. While parents won’t always agree and may argue, co-parenting requires that they make a good-faith effort to reach reasonable decisions that they will both support. If you continue to work together in this way, it will make the divorce less disruptive for your children and help them to feel emotionally supported. If you would like to pursue this option, a Scottsdale child custody lawyer from our office can explain how to accomplish it and can work with your spouse’s attorney to create a workable plan.
What is the effect of co-parenting on a child?
Successful co-parenting will make divorce and its aftermath easier for the child. Not only will both parents remain involved in protecting the child’s welfare, but the efforts to resolve any parental differences over child-rearing will restore some of the stability the child experienced before the divorce.
Challenges to co-parenting
Co-parenting is seldom trouble-free, even if both parents work in good faith. Communicating with each other may be awkward at first and reaching a common decision may be difficult. Co-parenting will be harder if you and your spouse retain animosity toward each other. Parental alienation can make the process particularly difficult. Responding to an unreasonable spouse in a combative manner will do nothing to make co-parenting work. Setting a good example and responding reasonably is far better. We can advise you on effective strategies for dealing with the challenges of co-parenting.
In what situations is co-parenting usually successful?
Co-parenting may not always succeed but it tends to work best in these situations:
- When the parents maintain a friendly attitude toward each other, despite the divorce
- When parents are willing to put aside their own concerns and to discuss their differences rationally for the sake of the children
- When parents live near each other and your children
- When both parents remain in contact with and take an interest in the children’s interests, behavior, friendships, education and activities
We can advise you on how to foster these and other favorable circumstances that can lead to a productive co-parenting arrangement.
How are co-parenting arrangements managed?
An important element of a successful co-parenting relationship is a well-designed plan that outlines how you and your spouse will perform your co-parenting duties. It should protect each parent’s rights with regard to the children, as to both custody and visitation. The parenting plan should encourage communication on child-oriented matters. It should be flexible enough to deal with a wide variety of circumstances but should not micromanage the custodial parent’s everyday decisions. The plan should be reviewed periodically and revised as needed. We can help you negotiate a suitable parenting plan with your spouse and help you deal with any difficulties that arise in its implementation.
Contact compassionate Arizona divorce attorneys for a consultation on co-parenting
For reliable advice and practical help on co-parenting, call Clark & Schloss Family Law, P.C. at 602-789-3497 or contact us online to schedule a consultation at our office, located on Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard in Scottsdale.
