Don’t Wait for the Teen Years to Surprise You
If you are going through a divorce or mediation, you may be wondering how much planning ahead you should be doing, and what should be included in your mediation agreement. One thing that you should think about sooner rather than later is how you will stand as a united front when it comes to discipline. Our skilled, experienced attorneys can work with you to set up guidelines and co-parenting plans for discipline as your children age. The best conflict resolution you can provide for your kids is a united front, wherein both parents agree on consequences and rewards for negative or positive behavior. Your child should feel supported and confident that both parents will agree on what is expected. Let us help you plan for the future, so that you are not caught of guard by rough times.
5 Ways to Provide Support and Disciple While Co-Parenting
There is no way to emphasize enough the power of co-parents who work together. Even though you may have tension between you, if you can create a healthy system of support and discipline for your child or children, you will be exponentially more successful in creating stability.
5 ways to create stability and co-parenting discipling are:
- Find common goals and keep them as your focus. Despite differences of opinion, you can build a foundation on the common goals including wanting your child to be respectful of authority or the elderly, having a healthy sleep schedule, or doing homework on time and diligently.
- Don’t undermine the other parent. If you think that your ex is too strict or too lenient, it does not help the situation if you talk about that with your child, or if you find ways to emphasize it. It will only hurt the respect that your child has for you if you talk negatively about your ex or if you undermine his or her rules for your child.
- Breaking the other parent’s rules. If your child is grounded at one house, he or she should be grounded at both houses, even if it means you have the change plans for the weekend. Following through with discipline shows your child that he or she cannot pit parents against each other or leave one house to avoid the discipline they are receiving.
- Keep your temper in check. Practice self-care and make sure that you don’t te your anger about the situation change how you handle things with your child.
- Set a co-parenting schedule. Whether it is dinners together every month or coffee once a week to catch up and make sure you both know what is going on in your child’s life, a co-parenting meeting with or without your child helps to let your child know that even though you are divorced, you and your ex are still in this together as parents.
Let Our Experience Be a Resource
Our team of attorneys guides divorcing parents who want to create stability for their children in a time of change. We know what it takes to let your children know that despite the changing living situations, you are still going to work with your ex to make sure they are safe, loved, and taken care of. Discipline and a united front show your child that they have a support system, no matter how their parents get along—or don’t. Let our team help you set up a plan through mediation, so that you can move forward with confidence and security about your children’s future.
Contact our team to schedule a consultation at 949-368-2121.