If your divorce is highly contentious and making co-parenting challenging, you may want to consider parallel parenting. This is a type of co-parenting where each parent takes on a separate role in their child’s life.
It can be an effective way of parenting for couples who cannot communicate or cooperate with one another.
The benefits of parallel parenting
Parallel parenting is a co-parenting arrangement that allows parents to disengage from each other while still being involved in their children’s lives. Parallel parenting can be beneficial because it reduces conflict in front of the children and allows both parents to stay involved in their children’s lives.
This parenting type can benefit families with high levels of conflict and difficulty communicating. Here are some benefits of parallel parenting:
- Reduced conflict: Parallel parenting reduces the contact between parents, which can help minimize friction and tension.
- Greater sense of control: With parallel parenting, each parent has more control over their household and can make decisions without interference from the other parent.
- Improved communication: While there may be less communication between parents in a parallel parenting arrangement, the communication that does occur is often more respectful and focused on the needs of the children.
- Better for children: Parallel parenting can be better for children because it allows them to have a relationship with both parents without being caught in their conflicts.
- More predictability: With clear boundaries and guidelines, parallel parenting can provide more predictability for parents and children.
Ultimately, parallel parenting is a beneficial resource that puts the child’s best interests first while allowing parents to parent separately. It’s an effective way for families to navigate co-parenting after a divorce or separation. By reducing conflict and providing clear boundaries, this approach can help to create a more stable and positive environment for everyone involved.
