Family law: Parallel parenting when co-parenting doesn’t work

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Children can still be raised as loving, caring, well-adjusted individuals when co-parenting doesn’t work for their parents. When divorced or separated Arizona parents just can’t seem to get on the same page about anything — including raising their children together — family law in the state paves the way for an alternative solution. Children can still have a relationship with both parents by a method called parallel parenting.

Essentially, parallel parenting former spouses parent their children by disengaging with each other but remaining engaged with their kids. The goal of this form of parenting is to allow former spouses to keep conflicts at bay while understanding their children have the right to have a relationship with both parents. This is also healthy for the parents too, who could suffer emotionally if their children were kept from them.

In parallel parenting, parents usually agree on the major issues regarding raising their kids, but that’s all they need to agree on. Daily logistics, decisions, and rules are decided by each parent and the relationship between the parents take on an impersonal, businesslike manner. Parents agree to let go of controlling how the other parent actually parents.

An Arizona lawyer experienced in family law issues may be able to provide a client with information and advice regarding parallel parenting when conventional co-parenting isn’t working. A lawyer will always do what is in the best interests of any children involved and may make suggestions to a client based on that premise. A lawyer may be the best individual to contact when looking for alternative solutions regarding children and what is legally acceptable.