Before, during and after divorce, parents struggle the most with effective co-parenting with their spouse or ex-spouse. When going through a divorce in Texas, the most important thing a parent can do for their child is to continue to communicate with their ex-spouse and foster their child’s relationship with the other parent.
If custody is at issue, I tell my clients that the most important action a Judge can see is co-parenting. No matter what issues arose during the marriage or what precipitated the divorce, a parent must co-parent with their ex-spouse. Effective co-parenting consists of all types of actions. Examples include keeping the other parent apprised of the events in the child’s life, communicating regarding medical or psychological issues before, during and after medical treatment, nurturing a relationship with your child and ex-spouse.
Divorcemag.com has an excellent article that provides advice for effective co-parenting. This article gives numerous examples of issues that come about post-divorce or separation between parents and provides guidance on how to handle those issues.
Even if one parent refuses to communicate with the ex-spouse, a Judge will notice and appreciate the efforts made by the co-parenting/communicating parent. Those efforts will show a Judge how he/she can anticipate each parent will work with the other parent regarding all the types of situations that arise in a child’s life. Therefore, most of the orders issued by a Judge will stem from effective or ineffective co-parenting.