Traditional co-parenting arrangements do not work for everyone. Some parents have difficulty due to high conflict or communication breakdowns. If you find yourself fighting with your former spouse, parallel parenting may be more effective.
Parallel parenting involves communicating as little as possible with your co-parent. You rely more on the parenting plan.
Minimizes Conflict Between Parents
Parallel parenting benefits high-conflict situations where parents struggle to communicate. Face-to-face conversations have a higher likelihood of becoming charged. Try to speak through others or use text and email to give yourself time to think about what you have to say. You can also look back on previous conversations to avoid misunderstandings.
Promotes Stability for Children
Parallel parenting provides kids with stability and consistency, despite parental conflict. It protects children from witnessing arguments or hearing conversations meant for adults. Children may have more difficulties at school and home due to parental conflict. Focus on their needs, not each other.
Allows for Respect of Individual Parenting Styles
Parallel parenting allows parents to maintain autonomy over their decisions and practices. Rather than attempting to collaborate, parallel parenting accommodates your differences. You do not interfere with your former spouse and he or she cannot interfere with your parenting. Instead, you have a clear parenting plan to follow.
Fosters Healthy Relationships
Parallel parenting contributes to the development of healthier parent-child relationships through stress-reduction. When parents focus less on conflicts, they devote more energy to positive relationships. More parent-child interaction fosters a sense of security and well-being.
Parallel parenting offers an alternative in situations where conflict makes parenting challenging. With parallel parenting, you can create a structured framework for everyone.
