When fashioning your post-marriage parenting agreement, you need to take a step back and consider the feasibility of your options. If your divorce was particularly contentious and you and your ex often argue, a traditional co-parenting arrangement may not work. Under Texas law, you need to address how you will split time with children.
A parallel parenting model differs in a few key ways from the traditional co-parenting one. Take a look at some of the ways parallel parenting may work for your family.
What is parallel parenting?
Parents who have a difficult time communicating effectively and working together may not prove well-suited for cooperative or co-parenting. Parallel parenting allows them to put together a plan and execute it without setting themselves up for failure by utilizing an approach that does not work for them.
Parallel parenting means that you and your ex will abide by a set of rules you establish, and how you each choose to do that is up to you. For instance, each of you will run your household without interacting or consulting with the other.
What are the key components?
The main component of a parallel parenting plan is the way you and your ex agree to communicate any kind of changes or comments. In many parallel parenting plans, former spouses agree to utilize the services of a third party. This person acts as an intermediary through whom each of you will relay messages. It is important that you do not let this fall on the children to do. The court does not appreciate parents who put children in the middle of post-divorce strife.
A parallel parenting plan can keep stress and tempers from flaring, thus making for a quieter and healthier post-divorce parenting arrangement.