Co-Parenting After Divorce

Nurturing a Successful Summer for You

by Marian Grande

Divorce can be a challenging and emotional process, especially when children are involved. However, with the right mindset and strategies, co-parenting after divorce can be an opportunity to provide a stable and nurturing environment for your children. As summer approaches, it's essential to approach co-parenting with a specific focus on creating a positive and memorable season for your children. In this blog post, we will explore effective coparenting strategies, communication tips, and activities that can help you and your former spouse make this summer an enjoyable and enriching experience for your kids.

Prioritize Effective Communication

Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful coparenting. During the summer months, clear and consistent communication becomes even more crucial. Start by establishing open lines of communication with your co-parent, whether through regular phone calls, emails, or shared online calendars. Discuss summer plans, including vacations, camps, and any other important events. When making decisions about your children's summer activities, be sure to involve them in the discussion, considering their preferences and interests. Maintaining a cooperative and respectful approach to communication will help set the foundation for a harmonious summer co-parenting experience.

Establish a Consistent Schedule

Consistency and predictability are essential for children, especially during times of transition. Create a summer schedule in collaboration with your co-parent that outlines when the children will be with each of you. This schedule should be realistic and consider both parents work commitments, vacation plans, and the childrens summer activities. By establishing a clear routine, you can provide your children with a sense of stability and security, allowing them to adjust to the summer season with ease.

Encourage Quality Time with Both Parents

Summer offers ample opportunities for quality bonding time with your children. Encourage your co-parent to spend quality time with the kids,emphasizing the importance of their relationship. Discuss the importance of maintaining a balance between structured activities and unstructured playtime. Whether it's planning a day at the park, going on a hike, or organizing a family BBQ, prioritize shared experiences that allow your children to create lasting memories with both parents.

Embrace Flexibility and Compromise

Flexibility is vital when it comes to co-parenting during the summer months. Be open to adjusting schedules when necessary and accommodate changes in plans. Sometimes unexpected opportunities or events may arise, and it's essential to be understanding and willing to compromise for the benefit of your children. Demonstrating flexibility will teach your children valuable life skills and help them adapt to changes as they arise.

Plan for Coordinated Parenting

Coordinated parenting involves maintaining consistency in parenting styles and approaches across households. It ensures that children receive similarguidance, rules, and expectations, regardless of which parent they are with. Discuss discipline methods, bedtimes, meal routines, and any other relevant aspects of parenting with your co-parent. Consistency between householdswill provide a sense of security and help children maintain healthy boundaries during the summer break.

Encourage Educational and Recreational Activities

Summer is an excellent time to engage your children in educational and recreational activities that stimulate their minds and bodies. Encourage your co-parent to seek out opportunities for your children to learn and explore. This could involve enrolling them in summer camps, participating in community programs, or exploring local attractions. Balance these activities with free play and relaxation time, allowing your children to recharge and enjoy the summer break fully. Coparenting after divorce during the summer months requires careful planning, effective communication, and a commitment to prioritizing your children's well-being.

By fostering a positive co-parenting relationship, establishing consistent schedules, and engaging in meaningful activities, you can create a memorable and enjoyable summer for your children. Remember, the key to successful co-parenting is putting aside personal differences and focusing on the shared goal of providing a loving and stable environment for your children to thrive. By working together and embracing the spirit of cooperation, you can ensure that your children have a summer filled with cherished memories and positive experiences. If you are going through a separation or divorce, or need help co-parenting, contact us for a free consultation.

I refer to this as intuition and I use mine daily. Being able to access this knowledge within you is a superpower we all have and many are not utilizing it. I want to share with you how you can use your own intuition to bring clarity to your life. In 2014, my husband and I just finished months of fertility treatments to try and create the family we’ve been dreaming of. I went through much of that year with blinders on, pushing through to the next appointment, ultrasound and scan. Eventually we were told by our specialist that there was nothing more that could be done for us. We were devastated and wondered why this was happening to us. A few months after this experience, my husband overheard a conversation of a couple who were preparing for adoption. As he re-told this story to me, we looked at each other and said “what do you think?” In that moment I had this deep inner knowing that this was the path for us to create our family. I had no idea on the “how” it was all going to come together, I just knew it would happen for us and it did! There was no coincidence that my husband was meant to overhear that conversation and share it with me.

We’re being guided every moment of every day and it’s up to us to listen to these messages and trust what’s coming through.

Using Your Intuition As Your Superpower

Do you ever wonder how you know something, but you’re not sure how you know it, you just do? Or have you ever had a “light-bulb moment" where you got a good idea out of nowhere? Some call this a gut feeling, others refer to this as their inner guidance or intuition.

I could have ignored this inner knowing and made excuses not to go down this path, but I felt that there was this energy more powerful than my logical mind, nudging me forward and so I followed this guidance. The messages sometimes may be so subtle that you may feel like you’re not receiving messages at all. They might be simple or they might come out of nowhere like our conversation.

o matter how they come to you, these messages have the ability to transform your life. In my situation, by listening to my intuition, I now have someone who calls me mommy. Our intuition is not something that is a new concept to this world. We all have this ability, we’ve just been conditioned, especially women, to not listen and trust the messages that are coming through. You’re being guided every moment of everyday and once you learn how to use your intuition to help guide you, you will experience more clarity, you will feel grounded, less in your head (hello hamster wheel always spinning ) and you will have confidence in the decisions you’re making because they’re aligned with your soul’s path.

In society, we’ve been taught to drown out this steady yet calming voice, especially us women, and yet we now know that this inner voice that’s guiding us is doing so from a place that is deep within us. Where we trip ourselves up however is TRUSTING the guidance and taking the inspired action towards what we want. That’s part of being a human being, we have the free will to listen or not. To act on the guidance or not, it’s really up to you. Your intuition is your superpower and I encourage you to use it in every decision you make. If you've resonated with this story and received value from it, I’d love to offer you one of the many tools that I use to teach my clients how to connect to their intuition for guidance. Access the recording at www.saorsaessentials.ca/intuition

Ashley is the creator of the Savvy Sovereign Woman Method™, spiritual guide, speaker and published author. She serves high-achieving women and entrepreneurs, guiding them to awaken to their full soul-aligned potential by tapping into their superpower, their intuition, and using it to transform their life in a way that feels aligned in every way. She helps women break free from the masculine energy of doing things, controlling, forcing, and pushing above all else to succeed by disrupting these patterns and creating space to receive the freedom and flow in their lives that they are searching for.