Co-parenting is a very difficult and unique experience. It takes a lot of patience, understanding, empathy and love to co-parent effectively. Co-parents must be able to put aside their own biases in order to help raise the children together. These quotes will inspire you when things get tough!
1. “Kids needs parents, not a part-time visitor with a check book.”
Every child deserves two loving parents. The quality of a person’s life is greatly dependent on having grown up with two loving, caring and attentive family members who are present for them at all times. As co-parents, you have the opportunity to give your children just what they deserve by showing them unconditional love every day!
2. “Co-parenting is not a competition. It is a collaboration of two working together with the best interest of the child at heart.”
It’s not easy, but it can be done. Children need both of their parents to be present in their lives in order to grow into functioning adults. The key is making sure your child knows he has two people who care deeply about him and his future on either side of the fence – despite any arguments between you and your ex.
3. “Remember you are not managing an inconvenience. You are raising a human being.”
Some parents seem to think that co-parenting is just a business deal. They do what they have to in order for their child to be happy, but this isn’t the way it has to work – if you take your time and put some emotional investment into the process of co-parenting with your ex, then life becomes much easier on everyone involved.
4. “Being a single parent is not a life full of struggles, but a journey for the strong.”
It is not easy to be a single parent. In fact, it is one of the most difficult tasks that a person can undertake in life. But what many people forget is that being a single parent is a hero’s journey on its own. While that journey is hard at times, you will have the opportunity to grow as an individual, to be a better person than you ever were before, and set an example for your child on how to deal with hardships and challenges in life.
5. “You can’t control what your ex does, but you can control how you choose to respond to your ex and what you model to your children.”
We don’t always get to choose what happens, but we do get to decide our response and attitude towards events – which will determine whether or not they are life changing for good or bad. Remember, in this journey, you are not just dealing with your ex who may be difficult to co-parent with, you are modelling behaviour for your children so that they know they have choices when faced with challenges in life!
6. “Don’t ask them to carry messages to the other parent. Don’t ask kids to be responsible for setting up arrangements, changing schedules, or arranging rides. These are adult matters that need to be taken care of by the adults.”
In order to successfully co-parent, we need to be able to communicate openly about the children – what they’re doing well, what needs work, etc. The only way co parenting will work is when each parent can undertake his/her responsibility fully to coordinate, communicate, and stay open about discussing their child with one another.
7. “A child is going to remember who was there, not what you spent on them. Kids outgrow toys and outfits, but they never outgrow time and love.”
The most important thing you can do as a parent is to be there for your child and create memories with them. Relationships may not always be perfect or easy, but they are worth the effort. As long as both parties are willing to put in the effort, co-parenting can be a rewarding experience and you will be giving your child a gift that will last forever.
8. “Effective co-parenting has nothing to do with pointing out each other’s faults but everything to do with working out solutions.”
Effective co-parenting is all about communication and finding ways to work together. It doesn’t matter who did what wrong; it matters that you do your best to talk through the problems and find solutions. Only by cooperating can you give your children all they need – time, love, memories and support from two people every day that they know as mommy and daddy.
9. “If you hold onto hurt and anger with a narcissist, the children will have no normal parent. The narcissistic parent will use them as puppets, love bomb, and abandon them. You are their only hope.”
It’s crucial to forgive the narcissist and find peace in your heart. If you hold on to anger, it will hurt your children when they see how upset their parents are with each other. It also makes a narcissistic parent manipulate them even more because there is always someone else around for them to focus on besides themselves – which only increases the pain of everyone involved.
Successful co-parenting requires that we let go of our own hurts and learn what empathy feels like so that we can be healthy role models for our kids by being accepting and kind towards others during difficult times.
10. “I’m thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength.”
Last but not the least, do not be too harsh on yourself when co parenting with someone else. There will be difficulties along the way, you will make mistakes, but it is all part of a learning and growing process. It will help you become more resilient, more self-aware, and teach you what it means to be a matured, responsible, and healthy human being / adult / (co) parent.