February 22, 2014 (Press-News.org) The (More Than) 10 Commandments of Co-Parenting
Divorce is hard enough, even when you have no children. With kids, it is that much harder. And if you and your ex aren't communicating, co-parenting becomes a tremendous challenge.
How do you co-parent with a former spouse you cannot stand? It's not easy - in fact, it's very difficult. However, there are things you can do to make it easier. If you (and ideally your ex) establish some basic "rules," your children will thank you in the long run.
The Commandments
There are many lists of dos and don'ts available for parents looking for advice on co-parenting. One piece of advice appears on most of these lists: Do not belittle or disparage your ex in front of your children, no matter how tempting it is. Even if your friends and family tell you that your kids' other parent is behaving badly, take the high road. This is one of the most important rules of successful co-parenting.
The family help gurus also have positive tips for co-parenting - things that you can do, rather than things you should not do. These "commandments" include:
-Put your children first at all times. Remember that being a parent is not about you.
-Talk with your ex about your child's health and development. Don't hoard information.
-Even if you and your ex have different parenting styles, try to establish consistent rules and routines, especially when it comes to homework, chores, bedtimes, limits on television watching and use of computers and cell phones.
-Treat your ex with respect and insist that your children do the same. Tell your children that they must be nice when they talk about the other parent (even when you would love to hear them make negative comments.)
-Encourage your ex to be involved in the child's activities, including attending school functions and extra-curricular activities.
-Negotiate the roles that other family members will have in the lives of your kids. For example, how often should they see their grandparents? What about aunts, uncles and cousins? Who will be invited to important celebrations in their lives, including birthdays, school and sporting events and special ceremonies?
-Agree on your children's activities. If your ex wants your daughter to participate in cross-country and you prefer she plays hockey, don't turn that into a battleground. Try to figure out what your daughter likes and encourage that.
-Understand that your children are not angels and that they may try to manipulate both of you. Kids do that even when parents are not divorced; why should things be any different after the divorce? Identify ways to help prevent your child from playing one parent against the other.
-When you talk with your ex, keep the conversation about the children, never about him or her. If the ex won't cooperate, stop the conversation and try again later.
-Use the phone whenever possible to discuss issues such as schedules and other business matters. Email has the potential to be misunderstood, and it's tempting to write things that you later wish you had not. If you do choose to use email, let your message sit for a while before you hit "Send." (Face-to-face meetings are most likely to become confrontational, so it is best to try to develop alternative ways of communicating.)
-If you have trouble staying focused on the business at hand, develop a script and memorize it. Write down your thoughts before you pick up the phone. Try to anticipate what the other parent might say and have an appropriate response ready if one is called for.
-Develop a shared document account that allows both parents to have access about information about the children. Google Docs and Dropbox are two commonly used, free services. You can post shared financial information, schedules, calendars, even scanned school documents and photos. Then you both have access to the same records.
-See if you can agree with at least one thing that your spouse says when you are arguing. Find at least a small piece of common ground.
-Tell your mother, siblings, friends and co-workers to get out of the way and stop talking negatively about your ex. You probably have enough trouble overcoming your own negative feelings without taking on someone else's.
-Try to forgive your ex. It may be hard, but discarding baggage from the past can make the present easier.
-Take a deep breath if you disagree with something your ex says or does before you respond in anger. Remember, it's not about you.
Co-parenting is a tough job even under the best of circumstances. When parents have difficulty getting along, following these commandments can help them, and more importantly, their kids.
Article provided by Massachusetts Family Law Group
Visit us at http://www.massachusettsfamilylawgroup.com/
The (More Than) 10 Commandments of Co-Parenting
Learn about strategies for successful co-parenting from the attorneys at Massachusetts Family Law Group.
2014-02-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Dix Signs Up with Game Day
2014-02-22
Dix has signed up with Game Day, one of the highest quality skincare products out on the market. "I'm very excited to be teaming up with Game Day. Their products are amazing! With them behind me, we are looking forward to great things."
Game Day website: (www.gamedaymens.com)
Along with the new partnership with the skincare company, Dix has also partnered with a gourmet company, Powerhouse Gourmet, which specializes in meals specific to his diet. Currently, Dix is in talks with a premium headphone company in which he hopes to add to his sponsor team as well. ...
Atlanta Electricians Pat Murphy Electric Explain What a Tamper-resistant Electrical Receptacles Is
2014-02-22
In 2008, the National Electrical Code began requiring electricians to include tamper-resistant electrical receptacles in all new and renovated homes and domiciles. Residential and commercial electric service Pat Murphy Electric, Inc., wishes to clarify what tamper-resistant electrical receptacles are and their importance.
Smarter and Safer Outlets
Before the National Electrical Code began requiring differently, homes were typically outfitted with standard electrical outlets. These outlets served their purpose, but Pat Murphy Electric's residential electrical contractors ...
Unum Law Group Assisting Victims of Denied Disability Claims
2014-02-22
After Unum, the world's largest disability insurance company, was accused of unfairly denying thousands of valid claims from policyholders, consumers turned to legal professionals like The Unum Law Group to assert their rights and seek justice.
Unum's alleged mistreatment of policyholders has been the subject of numerous investigations, and government officials have accused the company of deliberately denying valid claims as a business strategy. Unum, formerly known as UnumProvident, has allegedly utilized many tactics to deny claims, including misreading medical records, ...
The Debut Of The H2O Extreme Water Straw
2014-02-22
Debuting the perfect survival straw, the H2O Xtreme Straw Water Filter, one of the best types of survival gear available. This survival water straw is one of the most durable, innovative, and creative pieces of technology that is small enough to fit in a pocket. It is a portable filter, that filtrates all types of bacteria and germs from harmful water. Once wet, an electrostatic charge is created that not only attracts contaminants, but also electroplates them through a unique process called "Electro Chemical Oxidation Reduction".
The lifestraw effectively ...
Seed-filled buoys may help restore diverse sea meadows in San Francisco Bay
2014-02-22
SAN FRANCISCO -- A pearl net filled with seedpods, tethered by a rope anchored in the coastal mud but swaying with the tide, could be an especially effective way to restore disappearing marine meadows of eelgrass, according to a new study.
The resulting crop of eelgrass grown by SF State researchers is as genetically diverse as the natural eelgrass beds from which the seeds were harvested, said Sarah Cohen, an associate professor of biology at the Romberg Tiburon Center. As eelgrass meadows are threatened by a number of human activities, restoration plans that maintain ...
Virginia Tech scientist proposes revolutionary naming system for all life on Earth
2014-02-22
A Virginia Tech researcher has developed a new way to classify and name organisms based on their genome sequence and in doing so created a universal language that scientists can use to communicate with unprecedented specificity about all life on Earth.
In a paper published in the journal PLoS ONE, Boris Vinatzer proposes moving beyond the current biological naming system to one based on the genetic sequence of each individual organism. This creates a more robust, precise, and informative name for any organism, be it a bacterium, fungus, plant, or animal.
Vinatzer, an ...
Antibody may be detectable in blood years before MS symptoms appear
2014-02-21
PHILADELPHIA – An antibody found in the blood of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be present long before the onset of the disease and its symptoms, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.
"If our results can be replicated in larger populations, our findings may help to detect MS earlier in a subgroup of patients," said study author Viola Biberacher, MD, with Technical University in Munich, Germany. "Finding the disease before symptoms appear ...
Selenium and vitamin E supplementation over recommended dietary intake may raise PC risk
2014-02-21
In a large clinical trial testing dietary supplements for prostate cancer (PCa) prevention, baseline selenium (Se) status (measured by toenail Se concentration), in the absence of supplementation, was not associated with prostate cancer (PCa) risk. However, when baseline toenail Se concentrations were high, supplementation with high-dose Se almost doubled the risk of high-grade PCa risk among older men, according to a new study published February 21 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
High-dose vitamin E also more than doubled the risk high-grade PCa risk, ...
Selenium and vitamin E supplements can increase risk of prostate cancer in some men
2014-02-21
SEATTLE – A multi-center study led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that high-dose supplementation with both the trace element selenium and vitamin E increase the risk of high-grade prostate cancer. But importantly, this risk depends upon a man's selenium status before taking the supplements.
These findings, published in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, are based on data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, or SELECT, a rigorously executed, randomized and placebo-controlled trial conducted by the SWOG cancer research cooperative ...
Does a diet high in carbohydrates increase your risk of dementia?
2014-02-21
New Rochelle, NY, February 21, 2014—Even small increases in blood sugar caused by a diet high in carbohydrates can be detrimental to brain health. Recent reports in medical literature link carbohydrate calorie-rich diets to a greater risk for brain shrinkage, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, impaired cognition, and other disorders. David Perlmutter, MD, best-selling author of Grain Brain, explores this important topic in a provocative interview in Alternative and Complementary Therapies from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Alternative ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Older adults who increased their regular walking pace by just 14 steps per minute were more likely to experience clinically significant improvements in a test of aerobic capacity and walking endurance
For adults with hearing loss, linear amplification (amplification across all sound levels, available with some hearing aids) might restore their ability to recognize emotion in voices
Self-reporting climate anxiety in the United States is linked to being young, female, believing climate change will impact you personally, and more frequent media and community discussions around clim
A “silent epidemic” of stimulant use is shadowing the most recent opioid epidemic
Food insecurity causes anxiety and depression
New approach to kidney transplant matching could lead to better long-term outcomes
The patterns of elites who conceal their assets offshore
Elephant robot demonstrates bioinspired 3D printing technology
Walking slightly faster could help older adults stay fit
Private health industry lobby group uses marketing and publicity strategies similar to Big Tobacco and other unhealthy commodity industry groups
Government rollbacks of climate monitoring is a public health emergency
Robots that grow by consuming other robots
MD Anderson Research Highlights for July 16, 2025
Interbreeding with Neanderthals may be responsible for modern-day brain condition, SFU study finds
Tiny crystals provide insight to massive 2006 Augustine Volcano eruption
Six-month follow-up results announced from a first-of-its-kind robotic-assisted cerebral aneurysm embolization study
Why some elephants take more risks around people than others
Hope in sight for autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA)
Snacking on avocado before bed may be linked to health impacts the next morning in adults with prediabetes
‘Fiery’ cell death during bladder cancer treatment may trigger chemo resistance by fueling cancer stem cells
How a tiny gene ensures the survival of male birds
New insights into ovarian cancer: why whole-genome doubling may hold the key to future HGSOC treatment strategies
Battery sharing could cut energy costs for communities
Expanded research tool to crack the code on Parkinson’s, the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease
Can AI detect hidden heart disease?
Simple rules govern soil microbiome responses to environmental change
Researchers track the willingness of gun owners to temporarily store guns outside their homes
Living near St. Louis-area Coldwater Creek during childhood linked with higher risk of cancer from radiation
Prevalence of extremely severe obesity and metabolic dysfunction among US children and adolescents
Estimated burden of influenza and direct and indirect benefits of influenza vaccination
[Press-News.org] The (More Than) 10 Commandments of Co-ParentingLearn about strategies for successful co-parenting from the attorneys at Massachusetts Family Law Group.