Talking with your ex-spouse after your divorce isn’t an easy task, but it’s a necessary one if you’re both raising a kid. Excellent communication between two co-parents is essential for a child’s development after a nasty breakup. You both need to be aware of what issues your child is currently facing and must work together to face these problems even if you both don’t live in the same house anymore.
As you start preparing for your post-divorce life, you and your ex need to figure out how you should talk to each other without bringing any unnecessary tension that could hurt both of you and your child. Here are some tips on how you can set these discussions up:
Figure out the best times to talk
Now that you no longer know what your ex is up to every day and vice-versa, you should review when the best times of the week is to get in touch with them.
Consider setting up an online calendar that both of you can access. You can put in your respective custody schedules and set up open times you have during the week where both of you can talk to each other. If you don’t want your child in the room during your conversation, you can see if you both have an open moment when they are at school or an extracurricular activity.
Examine your communication options
These days, there are many different ways you can talk to your ex. You could text them, email them or send them a note on Facebook messenger if you don’t want to hear their voice. You need to be careful if you rely on these methods too much because they can get ugly quickly. Talking to them in person or on the phone is still a reliable way to get most if not all the information you want out within one discussion. You both need to be careful about what tone you use during these conversations since your child isn’t the only one recovering from the breakup.
You should also refrain from using your child as a messenger between you two. You are both responsible adults and have several ways to reach out to each other. Sending messages through your child will only make the situation more uncomfortable for everyone involved.
Don’t leave out important details
If your kid is having a hard time at school or is still recovering from the divorce, let the other parent know about it. Your child isn’t staying with you for every day of the year. Even if your relationship with your ex didn’t end well, you both have a responsibility to make sure your kid turns out all right. Withholding essential details about your child’s issues could cause further conflicts in the family and delays in solving said issues.
Kentucky parents who are still struggling to talk to their exes after a divorce should consider speaking to someone experienced in family law to discuss any additional strategies or their options on child custody and visitation.
