For many divorced parents, the best-case scenario is to move past the issues that led to their divorce and work together to raise their child in two houses. By sharing custody of their child, each parent can share their time with their child and raise their child in healthy, conflict-free environments.
Realistically, however, issues will arise when parents share custody of a child. However, parents who communicate frequently about their issues and are willing to work through them can often resolve their problems without having to take legal measures.
What happens, though, when your co-parent isn’t particularly communicative? This may have been an issue that led to a divorce or a developed behavior as a result of the split – but the difficulties that arise with your co-parent cannot easily be resolved when they aren’t talking. You may need to take extra steps to succeed as a co-parent when your ex is non-cooperative. Here are some steps to take:
Focus on your child
Your number one goal as a parent is to give your child a loving, stable environment and a healthy upbringing. If your co-parent is non-cooperative, it is still important to keep your child’s needs at the forefront of your decisions and interactions. For your child, this may mean prioritizing your child’s needs and best interests instead of focusing on your relationship with your co-parent.
Establish boundaries with your co-parent
Child custody arrangements can determine how you and your co-parent interact, how often you each see your children and what obligations you are meant to meet for your child. Even if your co-parent does not cooperate with you, you may want to make it clear that you each have a duty toward your child, which is outlined in your custody arrangement.
Act in a businesslike manner
To handle a situation where your co-parent is non-communicative, it may help to treat the relationship like a business. By treating the relationship like a business, you can remove any emotions. For example, you may want to consider keeping correspondence simple and short – and always communicate by text or email or a parenting app so that you have a record.
Understand your legal options
A non-communicative co-parent may develop into a larger issue. You may need to seek guidance and understand your legal rights if a co-parent is non-cooperative and fails to fulfill their obligations toward your child.