Having a child may have been the greatest day of your life and your spouse’s life. You undoubtedly imagined all the wonderful adventures you would have as a family and how the two of you would watch your child grow and work as a team to nurture that growth. Of course, now that you are going through a divorce, you may have concerns about those visions remaining a reality.

Before you begin thinking that child custody arrangements will leave you with an unequal amount of responsibility when it comes to raising your child, you may want to remember that you and the other parent can have a substantial amount of input in custody terms. In fact, you can choose to continue to work together as co-parents and have equitable time with your child.

Can you work together?

Depending on the circumstances that led to your divorce, you may or may not feel that you can continue working closely with your soon-to-be ex. If the feelings between you remain amicable, you may feel that working together for the sake of your child would not present any issues. If so, co-parenting may be a useful custody path to consider.

How can you make co-parenting work?

Emotions may still feel raw as you come to custody terms, and even though your marriage ended on good terms, it can still feel difficult to have a constant reminder that a relationship did not work out as originally intended. If you find yourself having a difficult time working in a co-parenting relationship, you may want to remember the following tips:

• Stay focused on your child. Your child is the most important person in this situation, and setting aside your feelings regarding the other parent may help you remember to work in the best interests of your child.
• Have support. You have gone through or are going through a considerable upheaval of your life, and you may need to seek support from friends, family or even therapists in order to have someone hear your worries and to provide support.
• Communicate with the other parent. If your relationship ended amicably, you may not have issues talking with your ex, but if for some reason it does become difficult, find ways to keep up communication so that you remain on the same page for your child.

Parents do not have to remain best friends after divorce in order for co-parenting to be a viable custody arrangement. Still, it is wise for you to consider all of your options and determine which terms may work best for your child. Utilizing local Maryland legal resources could help you obtain reliable and applicable information.