When parents decide to co-parent together after a divorce, it is a deliberate decision to keep up some level of contact for the sake of their child.
But not every parent will stay near their co-parent and child for the duration of their child’s younger years. In those situations, is co-parenting still possible? Fortunately, the answer is yes.
Keeping up communication
Onward discusses ways to co-parent even over long distances. Though it provides unique hurdles and requires certain concessions to happen, it is not an impossible feat by a long shot.
There are several keys to ensuring that co-parenting still goes well even if one parent must move away for some time. The first is to keep up with strong communication between co-parents. In order to have a healthy co-parenting relationship and maximize benefits for the child, co-parents need to stay on the same page. Distance can lead to the breakdown of communication, so both parties must make an active effort to ensure communication remains the same.
Maximize time quality
It is also crucial for the co-parent living far away to maximize the quality of the time they spend with their kids, rather than focusing on the loss of quantity. True, the distant co-parent cannot spend as much time with their children as they would like. However, if they maximize quality every time they communicate with their children, they can keep up a strong and healthy bond.
Keeping things predictable, sturdy and open in the interim can make it much easier for these parents to transition back to life after moving back, as well, which is a benefit to all involved.
