Co-parent Communication Builds Bridges

I love the photo of the beautiful old bridge on my blog page. It looks serene and calm, like it’s been there forever.
Bridges are important to travelers. They span obstacles and connect places on our journeys. Bridges also connect people. Within a family, positive emotional connection builds bridges among family members. Effective co-parent communication builds bridges for the benefit of children.

We count on bridges to be safe and to enable us to reach our destinations. Sadly, bridges don’t last forever. When they fall unexpectedly it can be shocking and frightening. When a bridge cracks or breaks, and people still need a way to cross from one side to the other, a new bridge is designed and built as quickly as possible.

A divorce is like an emotional bridge that has fallen. The experience can be disorienting, sad and scary. But children of divorced parents will soon need to journey from one parent to the other. To make this transition in safety, a new bridge will need to be built.

Much of my work involves parent-to-parent bridge building. When parents get unmarried, they continue to have a lifelong relationship as co-parents. I help parents create a parenting plan to continue to meet the needs of their children after a separation or divorce. All family members’ perspectives are taken into account. A parenting plan contains agreements about many important aspects of raising children. A parenting plan acts as a roadmap to guide families into the future.

Co-parent communication builds bridges so a parenting plan can work. Co-parent communication work can involve practicing new skills as well as discovering and using the most effective communication tools, e.g. online family calendars. When co-parenting communication is respectful and sufficient, children do not have to figure out how to navigate from Mom Island to Dad Island with no bridge in between. When children know there is a safe path to cross it makes all the difference.