After a divorce, you have to prioritize your child’s needs. No matter how bitter or emotionally charged your divorce was; you have to set your differences aside for your children. The two of you have to decide which style of parenting works for you and your family. Marriage.com explains there are two styles of parenting that you and your spouse might choose between: co-parenting and parallel parenting.
In a co-parenting situation, you and your former spouse will maintain a relationship. You will both remain present for your children, despite the past. This type of parenting offers a sense of stability after the divorce. Co-parenting can also provide your children with less responsibility. In some situations, children may take on caretaker roles towards their parents. When you co-parent, you may lessen the chance of your child reversing his or her role.
Parallel parenting, on the other hand, is when you have limited contact with your former spouse. In parallel parenting, you have less contact with your former spouse. The two of you have your own household rules and make decision making outside of one another. This form of parenting helps ease tension between you and your ex-partner. It also provides you both with the opportunity to use your own individual parenting styles.
In some situations, the bitterness of a divorce or the tension that led to the divorce may be difficult to reconcile. Parallel parenting allows you to avoid fights that could lead to more stress on you and your children after a divorce. The choice between parallel and co-parenting depends heavily on your unique circumstances.