As divorced parents, your top concern is likely your child and what you can do to support them in the future. After all, many professionals state that joint custody is the way to go when it comes to serving your child’s best interests.
But what can you do if you and your co-parent do not get along at all? Is there any way to co-parent together while avoiding potentially devastating clashes?
Text vs. in-person communication
Psychology Today discusses parallel parenting and how co-parents find it useful after divorce. With parallel parenting, you and your co-parent can share joint custody while also maintaining distance, as parallel parenting involves the use of written or text-only communication.
Instead of having in-person meetings or even talking over the phone, you and your co-parent will instead strictly discuss things through text. This can include emails, text messages or even handwritten messages. For example, some parents will pass a notebook between each other through their child, in which they record the details and events of a visitation.
Protecting your child
Communicating through text allows you to take a step back if you need time to cool off between interactions. It lets you think before speaking and thus cuts down on the chance of disagreements or explosive arguments happening.
This also protects your child from witnessing these potential arguments with their own two eyes. At the same time, it provides them with the stability and security that a two-parent household can provide. In other words, it may provide the best of both worlds, helping your child while also keeping you and your co-parent comfortably separated. It is certainly an option to consider.