As the end of the year will be upon us all in just a few short months, you – like many Americans – may find yourself reflecting on the past year’s successes and challenges. If you co-parent with your ex, you may find yourself looking back at how well you’ve managed the process.
Thankfully, all that mulling can be put to good use. Even though it is only October, now is the perfect time for co-parents to look ahead and start planning for next year. Taking some proactive steps now can help set a positive tone for the upcoming year, better ensure the healthiest co-parenting relationship possible under the circumstances and facilitate the execution of a more thoughtful approach to raising your children together.
Is your parenting plan working for your child and your family?
Before the new year arrives, it’s a good idea for you to review your existing parenting plan and assess whether any adjustments need to be made. Consider what worked well and where there were difficulties. For example, were there conflicts over holiday schedules, school events or extracurricular activities? Were communication issues a frequent problem? By identifying areas of improvement, you and your co-parent can potentially begin the new year in a better place after discussing what changes might be necessary to make the arrangement work more smoothly.
For example, if major life changes have occurred this year, it may be the perfect time to consider revising your current custody and/or parenting time arrangements. It’s also important to consider any upcoming events or milestones that will require coordination. These might include birthdays, graduations, school breaks or significant family gatherings. By discussing these events in advance, you and your co-parent can more effectively avoid last-minute conflicts.
To that end, if communication with your child’s other parent has been difficult or inconsistent this year, now is the time to establish clear communication goals for the coming year. This might involve setting up regular check-ins, using a co-parenting app to manage schedules or agreeing to focus on more positive and respectful interactions.
Only you (and your co-parent) can truly understand what tweaks need to be made to your arrangements for them to be as effective as possible next year. And, in planning, you can – thankfully – work to make those adjustments a reality.