Parents in Kirkland who divorce will likely co-parent their child together. If you are on good terms with your child’s other parent, it can be tempting to engage in chitchat about your daily life. Still, one study suggests that there are some topics that should be off-limits when co-parents communicate with one another.
Recent study examines co-parenting conversations
A study of 708 divorced parents explored how communication between parents following their divorce affects their children. The study suggests that if parents discussed the stressors of parenting with one another or discussed their post-divorce romantic life with one another, their child could potentially internalize this information to the detriment of the child’s behavior and mental health.
The study concluded that it may be healthier for parents to limit their conversations post-divorce to shared parenting issues.
Healthy post-divorce communication between parents
Communication is certainly an important part of co-parenting. Parents who choose to co-parent will have to find a productive and positive way to do so without creating unnecessary conflict.
Some parents can have regular face-to-face conversations post-divorce, for example, during child custody drop-off and pick-up. Doing so can show children healthy means of relating to one another, even if you are no longer in a romantic relationship with that person.
Some parents still find, however, that it is difficult to have in-person conversations following their divorce. These parents may choose to communicate via text or email instead. These are also healthy ways to work together as co-parents.
When you divorce your spouse, you do not divorce your child. You and your child’s other parents will have to work together to co-parent. Doing so can help encourage a healthy relationship between you as a parent and your child as your child grows post-divorce.