Practical Solutions, Personal Service
Photo of Lisa L. Johnson

What can you do if your co-parent isn’t cooperating?

| Sep 16, 2021 | Child Custody & Visitation

Life as a co-parent is often challenging. This is partly due to disagreements that stem from making decisions for your child. It might also be because tensions remain from the end of the romantic relationship. 

You must remember that co-parenting is the most successful when both parents work together to raise the children. Unfortunately, you can’t force your ex to cooperate with you. If you’re dealing with an uncooperative co-parent, consider these points. 

Stick to your own parenting method

You can’t let your ex’s unsavory behavior impact the method that you use to parent your children. Instead, continue to do the things that you know are right for the kids. Just be sure that you don’t do anything that goes against the parenting plan. 

Focus solely on the children

The children have to be at the heart of all the decisions that you make. While it might be tempting to make things harder for your ex since they’re being uncooperative, don’t fall into that temptation. Try to remain calm and remember that your ex might be doing what they’re doing just to get you upset. By focusing on the kids, you take away their ability to do that. 

Document everything

Keep a record of anything that your ex does that violates the parenting plan. This may come in handy if you pursue a modification of the plan because of their contentious behavior later on. 

Anyone who’s going through a child custody issue should ensure that they know their rights. If your marriage is ending and you share children, you should focus on getting a parenting plan in place. This helps set the stage for the remainder of your parenting relationship. You can even include conflict resolution terms, which might make it easier to cope with the situation.