Amicable Session 1

Hello there! My name is Kathy and I am here to share with you what I call "The Road to Amicable Co-parenting." I had my first child at the age of twenty and she is now twenty years old. When my daughter was born, her father and I were in a committed relationship but we were not married. We were in a relationship for about one year after her birth and for irreconcilable reasons we ended the relationship. Life for me, my daughter and her dad has had its good and bad times. I attribute most of our issues to immaturity and the lack of answers to questions such as, what do you do when the relationship goes bad?; or what are the boundaries after the relationship has ended?; and how do you move on when the other parent has another partner, married or dating? "Recent research has shown that conflict is reduced in equal parenting households, from the perspective of both children and parents, and in cases where inter-parental conflict is not reduced, equal parenting seems to improve most of the negative effects of such conflict on children (Psychology Today, 2013)." For this reason I would submit to you that there are a few primary steps to having a peaceful relationship with your co-parent. First, it is of the utmost importance to understand the purpose of co-parenting. The purpose is to ensure the ultimate happiness and well being of the child. Secondly, every decision made concerning the child should be made with the child or children in mind. Granted, each relationship will have different dynamics but keeping the child's best interest a priority will make the process smooth, I guarantee. There will have to be a lot of give and take from both parents, but remember all children want is to be happy. I know some of you may say this is not easy Kathy, and I agree it is not always easy but it can be done. In today's society, social media is an extremely effective tool to communicate with and to reach masses of people. It is my hope that through these conversations I can share with you my experiences to help you work through some of the issues you may be having with co-parenting. I will share from my perspective and I invite you to share your experiences as well. Feel free to submit any questions, comments or concerns to my blog at kats4peace2@blogspot.com. I would love to hear from you! So, stay tuned for more as we discuss and take a journey together on, "The Road to Amicable Co-parenting."