As kids grow, their mental, physical and emotional needs are bound to change. To respond to these changing needs, parents ought to perform a periodic review of how they are raising their kids. And if the parents are divorced, it is important that they incorporate the decision-making mechanism in their co-parenting plan.
However, decision-making in situations where parents are divorced is rarely simple. To achieve this goal, parents need to apply different strategies. But first, they need to define what amounts to significant decisions:
Defining major decisions
Basically, major decisions include those that can have a long-term impact on the child’s life. Examples of these would be the child’s:
- Education such as choice of school
- Religious tutelage
- Healthcare needs including choice of a doctor
- Extra-curricular activities such as sports and music lessons
Here are two helpful tips that can help you make major decisions on behalf of your child.
Plan ahead
Last-minute deliberations on life-defining subjects like where your child will go to school or how they will worship can be quite stressful, to say the least. They can also invite unnecessary conflicts.
Of course, there are situations like medical emergencies where planning ahead might not be practical. However, the more you and your co-parent give each other time to think through and process issues, the more likely you will address them in an amicable manner.
Keep the discussion civil
The importance of having a respectful conversation with your co-parent cannot be overstated. Of course, this is not to say that you cannot disagree on the matter at hand. However, even when you disagree, it is important that you do so with a clear head if you are to have productive conservation that addresses your child’s best interests.
One of the most challenging aspects of divorce is making parenting decisions with your co-parent. You may need to find out how you create a working formula and make decisions that serve the best interests of everyone involved.