It’s never easy when divorced parents — or any parents, for that matter — have different parenting styles. Raising children can be much less daunting when two people are on the same page on how to do so regarding things like punishment, education, health care, values, religion and the like. Luckily, British Columbia parents are guided by family law when it comes to doing what is in the best interests of their children.
Even when parents are divorced, they need to have conversations about how to co-parent their children and come to a consensus on parenting style at least regarding important things. It’s fine if one parent is more happy-go-lucky and the other is more serious, but it’s necessary to give kids a cohesive message on important things like the consequences doled out for unacceptable behaviour. Both parents and their children should have a firm grasp on boundaries and family rules.
When parents can’t decide on the big stuff, it might be in their best interests and the interests of the children to seek help. Co-parenting can be hard to navigate, especially if a divorce or separation was messy. Individuals need to make an effort to compromise and communicate for the sake of their children.
A British Columbia family law lawyer may be able to help a client to effectively co-parent his or her children by offering family law tools. In some instances, a lawyer may also be able to help in fashioning a co-parenting plan. Everyone involved has the same goal — to do what is best for the children.