Co-Parenting

What is Co-Parenting?

Co-parenting is when two parents going through a separation or divorce decide on sharing responsibility for their child’s upbringing. Effective co-parenting means being fully committed  to raising children together while ensuring that the painful emotions of the separation do not negatively impact child rearing during the divorce process and beyond. Successful and healthy co-parenting should include a detailed parenting plan, an agreement regarding how to communicate effectively, and strategies for resolving the conflicts that will inevitably arise. 

Creating an effective co-parenting relationship is essential for a happy and healthy future for you and your children. Two Healthy Homes will provide you with the expert resources to make that goal a reality.

Our Co-Parenting Services

Co-Parenting Classes: Online Co-Parenting Classes

Co-parenting classes are designed to ensure you have all the knowledge and skills necessary to create a successful co-parenting relationship.  These easy-to-access resources are the first step in protecting your children from the emotional harm that divorce can cause, both now and into the future.

Two Healthy Homes | Co-Parenting Classes

Using Dr. Ellis’s expertise, you and your ex can learn to overcome obstacles and resolve conflict when focusing on the upbringing of your child. Learn the skills and strategies necessary to reframe your relationship as a business partnership and learn to be the best parents you can be.

Two Healthy Homes | Co-Parenting Classes
Co-Parenting Classes: Online Co-Parenting Classes

For parents with a narcissist ex, this expert coaching is designed to teach you how to deal with an emotionally abusive ex in regards to raising your children. The focus is on how to set clear boundaries to ensure you and your child are protected from any further emotional harm or damage.

Two Healthy Homes | Co-Parenting Classes

Co-Parenting with a Narcissist Survival Guide

This masterclass with Dr. Ellis is here to provide you with expert step-by-step support in developing a present and future plan for dealing with a narcissist ex. This includes video training, an expert interview with a family law attorney, and a detailed workbook, all aimed at protecting you and your children from future emotional harm. 

Two Healthy Homes | Co-Parenting Classes

The Co-Parenting Academy

Our most comprehensive program, The Co-Parenting Academy is an interactive and on-demand 11 module program aimed at teaching you in greater detail all the skills and strategies necessary to protect your children from the long-term emotional damage that divorce can cause. You will learn how to make every decision along the divorce journey from a child centered perspective and have access to every resource we have to offer. 

Two Healthy Homes | Co-Parenting Classes

A parenting plan is an essential legal agreement that details when children will be with each parent, how parents will communicate with each other, and how they will divide child-rearing responsibilities. Working with Dr. Ellis to create a parenting plan will result in a plan that is tailored to your children’s specific developmental and emotional needs and that meets your family’s specific situation.

Two Healthy Homes | Co-Parenting Classes

Co-Parenting Tips

  • Never put your children in the middle of your parental conflicts.
  • Focus on communicating like business associates: respectfully, non-emotionally, and focused on the business at hand.
  • Make decisions based upon the best interest of your children rather than on your anger toward your ex.
  • Support your children’s relationship with their other parent and avoid making negative comments about your ex.
  • Take time to focus on your own personal needs and get the support you need to best manage your own painful emotions.
  • Learn everything you can about the impact of divorce on children and how to best support them as they go through this difficult process.

How To Co-Parent

Book an appointment today to learn the essential skills you need to be the best possible co-parent for your children. Implement our expert strategies and take our training programs to learn improved parenting skills following a separation or divorce.

Learn to be a healthy co-parent by developing more effective communication skills, creating a child centered parenting plan, and understanding your child’s emotional needs and how to best meet them. Reduce your sense of helplessness by empowering yourself to not sit around waiting for your ex to change but to take control of the things in your life that you have the power to change.  

What is the Goal of Co-Parenting?

The goal of co-parenting is for children to continue having the love, support, and guidance from both parents following a separation or divorce while ideally eliminating any further stress, conflict, or emotional damage for both the parents and the children. Ideally a detailed parenting plan will be developed that provides your children with access to positive parenting time with both parents.

How Positive Co-Parenting Can Benefit Your Family

Creating a positive co-parenting relationship will significantly reduce unnecessary conflict, negativity, or emotional damage to your child and both parents following a separation or divorce. Working together as effective co-parents fosters healthy family relationships and helps to build a structure for the future of your newly reconfigured family. 

Co-Parenting FAQs

Co-parenting is a positive parenting method utilized after a  separation or divorce where both parents agree to work together to raise their children in a collaborative way, avoiding conflict and committing to putting their children’s best interests as a priority..

Newborns develop an attachment to their parents by means of feeding, playing, and quality time spent together. For a healthy newborn co-parenting situation, it is important to create a plan which allows for significant time with both parents so that the newborn has the opportunity to develop a positive bond with both parents. Newborns also benefit from structure in their lives so it is essential that the parenting plan is followed as consistently as possible.

Successful co-parenting with someone you no longer like or respect is still possible with the right boundaries. it is essential that your negative opinions about your ex are not shared with your children. They should still have the opportunity to spend time with your ex without your personal feelings getting in the way. Parallel parenting is often the best option if you need to limit interaction with the person you hate while still affording your child the opportunity to spend time with both parents. 

Parallel parenting is the most appropriate choice for co-parenting with an abusive ex. This allows for clear boundaries to be established, limits communication and contact with your ex, and gives each parent specific areas of parenting responsibility.

Communicate as you would with a business associate: be respectful, stay focused on the business at hand, and keep emotions out of your conversations as much as possible. Using a parenting app can be another great way to ensure better communication with your ex when co-parenting. Making your parenting plan as detailed and specific as possible will also ensure that everybody is on the same page about all of the logistics related to the children’s day to day lives and needs.