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Establishing Boundaries for Successful Co-Parenting After Divorce

When it comes to divorcing children, co-parenting is an ideal objective to pursue in order to foster the best interests of your kids. Successful co-parenting depends on the establishment of meaningful boundaries. There are some specific facts and factors to bear in mind when it comes to the matter of establishing boundaries for successful co-parenting following a marriage dissolution.

Do Not Impede on Other Parent’s Time With Children

A key boundary that needs to be established and maintained for successful co-parenting is a firm commitment not to impede or interfere with the other parent’s time with the children. Common examples of interference that arises to boundary failures associated with effective co-parenting include but are not limited to:

  • Failure to have a child available at the start of a scheduled parenting time
  • Failure to return a child to a custodial parent at the end of a scheduled parenting time
  • Interference with a child’s time with the other parent
Create a Co-Parenting Communication Scheme

At the heart of effective co-parenting is consistently civil communication between parents. In order to achieve reliable, civil communication between divorced parents, a divorced couple is wise to develop a plan of action for a specific communication scheme.

For example, you will want to consider scheduling specific times at which you will have recurring and regular communications with the other parent. Some parents elect to schedule a weekly phone or Zoom conference. During such a session, parents share information relating to their child or children. This can include planning activities which a child or children will be participating in during the coming week.

The planned communication session can also be an ideal time at address issues that arise in regard to a child or children. Open communication is an invaluable element of addressing issues associated with children in divorce and a vital part of successful co-parenting.

Create a Comprehensive and Detailed Parenting Plan

There is an often-used statement that those who fail to plan, plan to fail. One of the most important elements of effective co-parenting is establishing a comprehensive and detailed parenting plan in the first instance. A complete, thorough parenting plan sets forth the framework for addressing issues associated with children following a divorce.

A properly drafted parenting plan establishes necessary boundaries associated with children and co-parenting following the end of divorce proceedings and into the future until children become adults. A parenting plan also has failsafe provisions to deal with potential problems that may arise going forward into the future as parents attempt to co-parent successfully.

Professional Support for Effective Co-Parenting

Various issues may arise from time to time that impact your ability to effectively co-parent. These matters may impinge upon your ability to establish or enforce suitable boundaries. You may not be able to tackle such issues on your own.

If problems do occur, you need to be flexible enough to consider professional support and assistance that may be available to you. For example, if issues surrounding your children are causing you stress and impacting your ability to sustain suitable boundaries, you may want to consider seeking support and assistance from a counselor or therapist that focuses his or her practice on working with people dealing with post-divorce matters.

Divorce and Your Legal Rights and Interests

If you have made the decision to seek a divorce, or if your spouse has commenced marriage dissolution proceedings, retaining a capable, experienced New Jersey divorce attorney is a fundamental step to protect your important legal interests. Call the Law Offices of Peter Van Aulen at (201) 845-7400 today.

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Peter has integrity, and values his relationships with his clients beyond his financial relationship with them. For me to say this about any lawyer is really saying something. He is compassionate, straightforward and knowledgeable. I would easily recommend him to anybody. Lewie W.
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Peter Van Aulen handled my case with great diligence and integrity. He is also a compassionate individual who realizes what a difficult time divorce can be emotionally. Peter works hard and doesn't take any shortcuts in preparing for a case… I highly recommend Mr. Van Aulen and his staff. Chuck Solomon
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Peter is an exceptionally great attorney. He handled my child custody case and was able to ease any of my concerns with honest answers. He always took the time to explain the pros/cons and was always available to answer any questions that I had… I would highly recommend this attorney to anyone who is looking for one. Jessica Cruz
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Peter Van Aulen is a very compassionate, honest and straightforward person. He was there for me at my lowest point with a genuine concern not only for my situation, but for me and my child's well being above all… He is fair and he is strong and when push comes to shove he is there for you. Cathy Dodge
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Our cousin used Peter's law office to help with a sticky custody situation. He was extremely responsive, very nice and most importantly did an awesome job with the court! He is awesome. Lawrence Polsky

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