Most of us are familiar with the concept of co-parenting. However, you may be less acquainted with the concept of parallel parenting, which is often recommended to parents who endured such a high-conflict divorce that they cannot closely interact with one another to raise their children. Continue reading to learn more about parallel parenting.
What is Parallel Parenting?
Unlike co-parenting, which is a more cooperative arrangement, parallel parenting is designed to significantly minimize contact and interaction between parents to avoid conflict. If you choose to parallel parent, everything will be kept separate, such as school events and extracurricular activities, which you will never attend jointly. When communicating, you will both primarily discuss any child-related matters in writing, through emails or texts, while maintaining a business-like tone.
Although it may be better for your children to see both of their parents attend school events together, it will not do them any good if there is constant tension, conflict, and hostility. Parallel parenting is not ideal, but it can spare your children a lot of added stress and emotional turmoil. That said, since you will have minimal contact with your ex-spouse, it is important to stay in touch with your children’s doctors, teachers, therapists, and more. They will provide the information you need to know about your children.
In some cases, parents may be able to create an arrangement that falls somewhere in between co-parenting and parallel parenting. Discuss this matter with your former spouse, so you can assess your options and establish the boundaries that are best for you and your family. Even if you choose to go entirely the route of parallel parenting, your needs may change over time and you may switch over to co-parenting. What matters most is the well-being of your children.
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If you are dealing with a family law dispute, the experienced team at Cynthia Tracy, Attorney at Law, P.C. can skillfully guide you through it, so you can obtain the best possible results. Our attorney is Board-Certified in family law by The Texas Board of Legal Specialization, so you can feel confident in our ability to assist you.
Reach out to our law office today at (281) 612-5443 to set up an initial case review with our family law attorney to get started. We are available via video conference or phone for consultations.
