When you and your spouse go through a divorce, it can cause tension in many aspects of your life. However, when you have children, sharing custody may make it seem even more challenging to get along amicably, as it forces you to interact to some degree. As such, many co-parenting exes experience an array of issues. If this is the case for you and your ex, understanding how to remedy these problems can help keep your relationship functioning more smoothly. The following blog explores the most common issues and explains how a Nassau County child custody lawyer can assist you with any legal problems that may arise.
What Is Co-Parenting?
Generally, there are two primary forms of custody – physical and legal. Physical custody refers to where the child lives. In some instances, they will live full-time with one parent, or both parents have an even amount of time with the child. Legal custody refers to who can make important legal decisions for the child. Like physical custody, this can be awarded to one sole parent or both parents. There are many arrangments for physical and legal custody, such as one parent having sole physical custody but joint legal custody.
When two parents share custody of a child in any capacity, they are considered co-parents. This is true whether they have the child for ten months out of the year or they split custody with their ex evenly. Generally, co-parenting is when two people who share a child work together to prioritize the needs of the child by working together and communicating.
What Issues Can Arise?
It’s not uncommon for exes who share a child to harbor resentment or anger toward one another. However, this can be the root of several co-parenting problems.
For example, if you find that pick-up and drop-off time can quickly turn into an argument, you may not know how to proceed. It’s not uncommon for one ex to try to provoke the other. However, do your best to remain neutral and polite when swapping kids. This is especially important, as you don’t want to argue in front of your children.
Similarly, if your ex always sends snarky, aggressive, or mean texts, you should avoid responding immediately. Unfortunately, they may do this just to get a rise out of you. Instead, wait a while to cool down and send a neutral, factual reply. If the text isn’t about your child, you don’t even have to reply at all.
Finally, if your ex is consistently late to pick up or drop off your children, takes them out of school on days when they do not have custody, makes legal decisions without consulting you, or violates the custody arrangement in any form, you’ll want to contact an attorney.
At Barrows Levy, we understand how frustrating co-parenting can be, especially if you’re the only one playing by the rules. However, this is for the benefit of you and your children. If you’re having issues with an ex who constantly violates the terms of your custody contract, we can help. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you remedy these issues.
