When parents get divorced and become co-parents, they often have to find new ways to communicate and work together. They still want to put their children first. But they’re doing this in new ways, as physical and legal custody have both been divided.
Often, disputes will erupt when co-parents are simply not on the same page. In some cases, this may be a valid reason for a legal dispute. In other cases, it may not. It’s important to consider exactly why these disputes happen and how to resolve them.
Are they breaking the parenting plan?
The key thing to remember is that the court order has to be followed. The parenting plan and the custody arrangement have already been decided. If the other parent is breaking that plan – such as not exchanging custody on the set schedule or refusing to communicate about important decisions, like healthcare – then it may be time to go to court. The parenting plan could be modified. In some cases, a parent who refuses to follow the court order will have their custody rights taken away.
But there are also other disagreements where one co-parent will say that the other person is always being uncooperative, but they’re not actually violating the plan or the court order.
For instance, one co-parent may want the child to have a curfew at 9:00, but the other parent doesn’t use a curfew at all. The two parents may disagree about this, but it is not “being uncooperative” to have different rules. Both parents are allowed to make unique decisions within their own homes, and they do not have to agree on every single aspect of how to raise the child.
This helps to show the difficulties of these co-parenting disputes. Parents who are involved may need to look into their legal options.