More often these days, Pennsylvania couples choose to work together in order to continue raising their children together after a divorce. This requires parents to find a way to communicate and cooperate. Without these two elements, co-parenting may not work.
Sadly, many Pennsylvania parents sabotage their efforts to co-parent by engaging in certain behaviors. For instance, parents may take on a “fake it until you make it” attitude, knowing that over time, they may genuinely be able to cooperate and communicate with each other without as much effort. Then, they may talk badly about their former spouses in front of the children. This may be a momentary lapse, but when done in front of the children, it tends to undermine the appearance of cooperation that they provide their children.
Even if one parent does not necessarily agree with a decision of the other parent, he or she needs to continue to show a united front. Undermining the other parent by siding with the children could cause more harm than good. Of course, if the other parent’s decision harms the children, that is another story. However, telling the children that they must complete their homework before playing does not harm them even if they can play before homework in the other parent’s home.
These are just some of the missteps that parents can make on their co-parenting journeys if they are not careful. It may be a good idea to include provisions addressing any circumstances that could jeopardize the parents’ ability to work together for the sake of their children. This is one area in which a parenting plan can prove invaluable above and beyond dealing with scheduling issues and other matters.
