The potential complications and emotional tumult that come with divorce are often compounded when children are involved. Impending divorce can strain each parent’s efforts to provide “the best” for their children, and both usually worry about how the children will be successfully raised by two different households post-divorce.
Fortunately, Florida child custody laws encourage both parents to take an active role in their children’s lives and share in the rights, responsibilities, and joy of parenthood. Rather than focus on “child custody,” Florida law under Statute 61.13 emphasizes “parental responsibility” and child “time-sharing” or “parenting time.” The statute has proven highly effective at helping Florida ex-spouses successfully co-parent after divorce. And, the heart of successful co-parenting starts with a legal parenting plan approved by the Florida Family Court system based on meeting each child’s “best interests.”
With extensive experience helping Tallahassee area parents navigate divorce and develop effective parenting plans, the family law attorneys at Cowhey + Ward say a well-thought-out and structured plan goes a long way in fomenting positive co-parenting between ex-spouses. However, disagreements, misunderstandings, and other issues relating to childcare and the parenting plan can arise. While the Family Court can resolve any emergent Parenting Plan disputes, it’s best when the parents successfully resolve the issue on their own. Thus, Cowhey + Ward offers the following tips for recently divorced spouses on how to smoothly transition into the role of a co-parent and effectively manage parenthood under the parenting plan.
Maintain Clear Communications
Clear communication between ex-spouses goes a long way in ensuring co-parenting success. When both parents are fully informed and updated about the essential elements of their children’s lives, it makes it easier for each to play a significant role in managing their well-being. Whether through phone calls, text messages, or email, the parents should maintain consistent, regular contact to review the children’s education, health, social life, extracurricular activities, and other important issues. The parenting plan can establish ground rules for communication, such as frequency and type, and how the parents should communicate when problems that need immediate attention arise.
Parental communications should always focus on the children’s needs and avoid delving into past conflicts or unrelated personal matters. Parents should strive to be respectful and considerate in their communications. When disagreements arise, or an issue involving a child is emotionally tense, ground rules should allow either parent to take a break from the communication, with an agreement to re-engage once the tension subsides.
Last, parents should consider setting up a shared online calendar so that each parent is always up to date on their children’s activities, appointments, and other events. Such calendars can be set up to automatically notify a co-parent whenever either adds, deletes, or revises a scheduled item. Further, there are numerous co-parenting applications available that provide these calendars, as well as offer other benefits, such as paying shared expenses, child support, etc.
Address Emergent Conflicts Constructively
Despite a detailed parenting plan and effective communication, conflicts over childcare inevitably arise. Whenever a potential conflict starts emerging, or in the face of an unexpected immediate issue, the parents must remain calm and strive to address the issue(s) in the least stressful way possible. Parents must focus on the children’s best interests rather than how any emergent issue may affect them. Attentive listening goes a long way in helping reduce stress and proactively resolve any conflict.
Each parent must make a concerted effort to understand their co-parent’s perspective. Provided both respectfully communicate with each other, a resolution may be within reach. However, an unresolved conflict can fester, leading to additional co-parenting issues. Thus, it’s always best to fully resolve any issues, even if it means bringing in a third party, such as a mediator or family therapist.
Enforcing Parenting Plan Compliance
If co-parenting efforts start going off the rails due to one parent’s consistent failure to comply with parenting plan terms, the other parent may want to consult with a family law attorney to initiate mediation or a non-compliance hearing with the family court. Mediation can effectively resolve some issues, and the family court can encourage or enforce parenting plan compliance with numerous legal options.
Resolve Your Parenting Plan Issues with Tallahassee’s Cowhey + Ward
For child custody and assistance resolving parenting plan issues in the Leon County, Florida, area, turn to Cowey + Ward Attorneys at Law. Adam Cowhey and Zach Ward have established a stellar reputation for their compassionate and dedicated approach to securing positive outcomes for their Tallahassee family law clients. As a Florida Family Law Rules Committee member, Mr. Cowhey has intimate knowledge and the most up-to-date information on the state’s family laws. To secure outstanding legal representation before the family court in the Tallahassee area, contact us today at (850) 222-1000.