South Carolina family judges generally allow both parents to remain in a child’s life after a divorce. Although this can be ideal for your son or daughter, it also means that you have to learn how to work with your former spouse. Fortunately, there are many steps that you can take to do so in a healthy and productive manner.
Put your child’s needs before yours
If your child is happy, you are doing your job as a parent. This may mean that you give up a day of parenting time so that your child can go to camp with a friend from school.
Have communication protocols in place
A quality child custody plan will have protocols in place as to how issues are raised and resolved. For example, you may agree to have coffee every Wednesday to talk about behavioral or other problems that you’ve noticed. If you don’t get along well with the other parent, it may be best to talk via email, text message or other digital means. This may also be a good idea if you need a paper trial establishing that your child’s other parent isn’t following a custody order in good faith.
As a parent, your top priority is being a positive presence in your child’s life. Ideally, you will refrain from saying anything negative about the other parent even if they are getting on your nerves. If you have any concerns about your son or daughter’s safety or the terms of an existing child custody order, it may be a good idea to express them to a family law judge.