Co-Parenting During a High-Conflict Divorce

 Posted on December 15, 2024 in Divorce

When you are involved in a high-conflict divorce, the divorce is probably taking up a lot of your time, energy, and attention. Divorce litigation - or even contentious and prolonged negotiations - can be draining and highly stressful. Meeting your children’s emotional needs during this time can be challenging. Having to work with your spouse to co-parent might be making matters worse. Seeing the level of conflict between you can be difficult for your children, who may, in turn, act out. This can cause even more conflict between parents, creating an awful cycle for everyone involved. It is important for both parties to work towards putting the children first and establishing a new, different relationship as co-parents. A DuPage County, IL high-conflict divorce lawyer can fight for you in court while you focus on adapting to a new way of parenting.

Consider Using a Co-Parenting App

Co-parenting apps can be beneficial if you and your spouse are struggling to remain civil and focused on your children when you have to communicate. A co-parenting app can allow you to share important information and updates about your children without needing to talk to each other. Some apps offer moderated communication, which blocks messages that are deemed uncivil or inappropriate.

Keeping Your Children Out of The Conflict

If you are litigating the child custody issue, your children will probably have to appear in court at least once. Unless your child has a mandated appearance, you should not bring them to court. Children should also not attend meetings with your attorney unless your attorney needs to speak with them. While venting to your friends and family members can be a great way to relieve stress, you should avoid doing so while your children are present. When you complete your required parent education course, you will learn more strategies for keeping your children out of the conflict.

Setting Boundaries for Communication

As co-parents, you will sometimes need to communicate when your child has an important event or needs support from both parents. It is a good idea to set boundaries around your communication with your co-parent. Many parents agree to keep communication strictly focused on their children, or at least to not mention their ongoing divorce or the issues that led to it outside of court. This can help to reduce direct conflict during your divorce, which also reduces your children’s exposure to conflict.

If your spouse cannot respect your boundaries or goes against your agreements, you may want to consider using a co-parenting app.

Contact a Wheaton, IL Divorce Attorney

Hensley Sendek Law is experienced in guiding parents through high-conflict divorce. Our experienced DuPage County, IL high-conflict divorce lawyers will work to help you establish the best parenting plan possible. Contact us at 630-358-9029 for a complimentary consultation.