Getting a divorce ends the legal relationship of the couple involved, but when kids are involved there are often many years ahead to continue a co-parenting relationship with your ex. Divorce can be a bitter scenario and sometimes children involved can experience trauma, anger and total confusion. To address the best interest of the children, most jurisdictions require that the divorcing parents take a parenting class to learn how to address the needs of the children, how to understand their child’s feelings and behavior during this stressful period and how to best handle their co-parenting responsibilities.
Parents should not look at this mandate as a personal judgment of their parenting skills, but rather as additional education for their new lifestyles. After months and even years of not getting along, it’s time for the two responsible adults to get together to cooperate with each other to learn how successfully raise their kids in separate households going forward.
This court order does not need to be looked at with anxiety or dread either. Many parents might feel stressed that they can’t possibly add one more thing to their already busy schedules, or don’t have support to watch the kids while they are away at class. However, with the prior approval of the judge, parents today can take high quality parenting classes online. Of course, taking classes from your own computer and in the comfort of your own home offers many advantages. Parents can easily enroll at the click of a button. The classes are then available immediately to take at any time that is convenient for them. The client can take the class while the kids are in school, or for an hour each night over a period of a few weeks - - whatever works. There is no predetermined timeline or class schedule to adhere to, like you would find in a traditional classroom. They also save parents money for babysitters, gas and parking. Classes can be taken from any Internet based computer and nothing needs to be printed out. So, you can sit in the library and take them on your laptop while your children are doing homework or in a coffee house during your lunch hour at work.
The other notable advantage has to do with the privacy of the online classes. When enrolled in online co-parenting classes, it does not have to be obvious to the public. Only the parents involved and a court employee are aware of the requirement. There is no need to be involved in a group setting. However, with research, the client will find good quality classes in which a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist can be contacted for questions and help.
So, what supports a good co-parenting relationship? Online classes will teach the skills necessary to create an environment that includes healthy communication, agreement (or compromise) on child rearing issues and the ability to look past your differences and view the ex-spouse in a positive light as a parent. Common pitfalls to avoid include putting the children in the middle, criticizing the other parent in front of the kids, and spoiling the kids so they want to be around you more.
It is natural for mistakes to be made as the new lifestyle of having two separate households unfolds, but taking an online co-parenting class will support you in this process. Classes will go into all the techniques of how to successfully work together to create stable, structured environments to raise healthy children with high self-esteem.