Coparenting is when divorced or separated couples work together toward a common goal – raising their child. As ironic as it sounds, the process requires collaboration from parents who are trying to break apart from each other’s lives.
With their child’s development on the line, parents must strive to achieve positive outcomes no matter how different their parenting styles, beliefs and processes may be.
How positive coparenting affects the child
New Jersey law encourages parents to maintain frequent and continuing contact with their child. Unless proven otherwise, the courts deem two parental figures central to the child’s growing years.
However, unlike with traditional parenting arrangements, coparenting conflicts tend to be more complex. Thus, research supports the significance of positive coparenting and highlights the following effects on the child:
- Forms ethical maturity or a moral sense when deciding what is right or wrong
- Higher chances of displaying a free-spirited disposition in a positive environment
- Higher chances of acting out or being ill-mannered in a hostile environment
- Higher chances of mirroring their experience, whether good or bad, when becoming a parent themselves
Depending on unique family circumstances, other coparenting studies also discuss the spillover effect when relationship dynamics influence the child indirectly. When both parties treat each other amicably, parent-child relationships can have favorable conditions. Similarly, when parents do not see eye to eye, their relationships with the child may also experience conflict.
How functional coparenting can define the child’s future
Clear communication and compromises can go a long way in steering the child’s future in the right direction. While several other factors may be at play, parents must always choose to set aside their differences and pave the way for their child’s well-being. However, when disputes cross the line and endanger the child, parents can always seek legal support in settling issues and protecting their parental rights.
