When things go wrong when you separate or divorce they can go very wrong. The more planning you do in anticipating possible disagreements can save emotional wear and tear on everyone.
Preparing a comprehensive collaborative parenting plan can save you, your former spouse and most importantly your children years of turmoil and misunderstanding. It provides for predictability, stability and continuity. Which are amazing gifts to give your children. It can also save you hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars in lawyer and court fees to attempt to resolve conflicts after separation.
Building a comprehensive collaborative parenting plan will help children moving from an intact to a divided family flourish because opportunity for conflict has been reduced and there is a desire to use conflict resolution skills instead on arguing and resorting to the legal forum for conflict resolution.
It allows you to empower your children with an abundance of self-esteem, excellent communication, and problem solving and conflict resolution skills. Skills that we all need to navigate a more purposeful and less stressful life.
Children should not lose out because we have issues with the other parent. It is our children’s right to be able to love and be loved by both parents and terribly wrong of a parent that will interfere with another parent’s parenting time and the child’s affection for that parent.
A comprehensive collaborative parenting plan can help you move from an intimate to a business relationship, help you understand how your children will experience separation and teaches you how to anticipate your children’s needs.
You will learn the central issues to consider and the implications to the parenting plan for the various stages of child development. You will learn children’s common reactions to separation.
You will discuss and decide on communication methods and learn what goes into a parenting plan.
So if you want your children to thrive through the separation and divorce process, save money and reduce the time for conflict and confusion and ;provide them with the stability and opportunity to love and be loved by both parents, I recommend you create a comprehensive collaborative parenting plan. Preferably with your children’s other parent, even better with a parenting coach or family counsellor to help you make decisions based on “The best interest of the children. If you can’t sit down with the other parent, then create one anyway for presentation to the other parent or to the other parent’s legal representative.