Whether you have one child, two children or more, it is likely that when you became a parent, you never intended to have your family torn apart by divorce. However, the reality is that nearly half of U.S. marriage end in divorce, and many of these divorces involve children. When children are part of the dissolution process in New Mexico and elsewhere, this often complicates the process. When parents are focused on maintaining a strong relationship with their children, they often forget about working with the other parent to find a suitable solution.

Parenting time often dictates what a child custody arrangement will look like. If parents spend much time bickering about a custody schedule, this could turn into a long, drawn-out dispute that could negatively affect the children involved. Because more and more divorcing parents are deciding on a joint-custody arrangement, co-parenting is often the framework used.

In order to make a co-parenting relationship successful, parents should focus on certain factors. This means being patient, rational, fair and reasonable. It is important that parents do not ask for a parenting schedule that is unreasonable. Additionally, child support should not be a focal point when reaching a custody agreement.

While parents are likely to have their differences, it is important to consider the situation from the perspective of the other parent. Co-parenting is not always easy, even when collaboration and communication are effective. Additionally, a custody agreement should not be used to hurt the other parent. It is never easy to lose time with a child; thus, it is a very vulnerable situation. Finally, if parents are not able to come up with a workable agreement or believe a current one requires modification, it might be resourceful to mediate the issue.

Custody disputes are often prominent family law issues during and after a divorce. Therefore, it is important that parents understand what resources they have and how to timely and effectively resolve these problems.

Source: Huffington Post, “How To Be A Hero To Your Children – When Divorce Is Your Enemy,” Jason Levoy, Feb. 1, 2017