Divorces are never easy, and they’re often even more difficult when they involve children. In ideal situations, divorced parents in New Jersey commit to working together for the good of their children. One of the most popular parenting styles for divorced parents is parallel parenting.
Is parallel parenting the same as co-parenting?
Co-parenting is a broad spectrum term that refers to both parents working together to raise their children after a divorce. While parallel parenting is a type of co-parenting, the two are not the same thing.
In parallel parenting, each parent carries out the daily responsibilities associated with raising their children. Parallel parenting usually involves parents switching out activity attendance, which reduces the amount of time that they spend together.
Why choose parallel parenting?
According to studies, children of divorce have the best outcomes if they spend a great deal of their time with each parent. Ideally, even in contentious divorces, the needs of the children come first, which makes parallel parenting such a good option for divorces that take a nasty turn. Even if one parent opposes joint child custody, or the divorce is contentious, benefits for the children include:
- Higher self esteem
- Better educational performance
- Better familial relationships
- Fewer behavioral issues
- Fewer emotional issues
How to create a parallel parenting plan
The goal of a parallel parenting plan is to reduce the amount of time that the parents spend together. With that in mind, your parallel parenting plan should include:
- When each parent’s custody begins and ends for the week
- Where any exchanges take place
- What happens in the event of cancellations
- Each parent’s areas of responsibilities
No matter how difficult your divorce is, it’s important that you take every step to set your children up for success. Creating a parallel parenting plan allows you to minimize contact with your ex while effectively caring for your children.
