Avoiding holiday conflict between co-parents

The holidays can be a stressful time, especially for co-parents who must divide the time with their children between them. Ohio parents want their children to have happy memories of the holidays, though, and that makes it essential for them to find ways to get along.

Here are a few tips co-parents may use to keep things civil between them over the next few weeks.

Communication

According to Psychology Today, communication between co-parents is key. Former spouses who have difficulty talking without old emotional wounds surfacing may want to pretend a co-parent is a business associate, keep all conversations completely focused on the children and, if necessary, resort to emails and texts to allow time to assess responses for inflammatory remarks. All conversations should be respectful and neutral.

Flexibility

Not every far-flung family member will be able to keep their holiday schedule in line with the parenting plan. If the child’s other parent asks for an afternoon to visit family that is only around for a short time, a compromise may be worth considering. The more co-parents can be flexible with each other, the better the holiday is likely to be for their children.

Advance planning

Healthline.com notes that although the basic schedule is covered by the parenting plan, it is still important to work out the finer points of the coming holiday schedule, and this should be done well in advance. If there are any plans to travel, these need to be communicated so that both parents always know where the children will be and how to reach them and each other.