The challenges of co-parenting or shared parenting are real for ex-couples who try to get along for the sake of their kids. Celebrities make this shared job look so easy and ideal but outside in the real world, those who co-parent have to go through a series of physical and emotional struggles.
Even the most cordial of co-parents are besieged by shared parenting obstacles. According to Irish Times, the concept of co-parenting has been around long before people actually understood what it entailed. In today's modern world, however, it's hard to quantify or qualify what style works or how people are even getting through it.
The confusion is evident in laws and policies that government leaders propose for families because they are based on outdated concepts of parenting. It's happening not just in Europe but also in America. In 2014, USA Today reported that states are failing divorced families and their children because the laws covering families and the welfare of the children are still based on studies and research from decades ago.
Another problem with co-parenting stems from a personal issue and not the system. Ex-couples make shared parenting out to be a competition with each other, without realizing that it will be the kids who will greatly suffer from the fallout.
Therapy sessions with trained experts could address these issues. But just like policy-makers, experts also have no solid basis to recommend standards of practices to help co-parents.
Some parents also believe that they can co-parent better with other family members and not their former partners so they can easily circumvent the law. This can result in another family problem — parental alienation. Lawmakers also have no concrete data and statistics to craft new laws regarding this.
What are your thoughts about co-parenting or shared parenting? Are you in this difficult boat? Would you like to share your experiences to help other parents? Sound off in the comments!
