Bay Area Family Law Blog

After a divorce or separation, you may have many concerns about co-parenting. Although you need to do what's best for you, there's nothing more important than the well-being of your child.

Here are five co-parenting tips that can improve your life, all the while ensuring that you and your child maintain a strong relationship:

• Be flexible: There will be times when a flexible schedule is a must. Don't lose sight of this if the other parent asks for a change.
• Don't turn everything into an argument: There will be times when you argue with the other parent. Your goal is to minimize these arguments by picking your battles wisely.
• Think about the other parent's feelings: It's not always easy to do, especially if you are no longer getting along, but practicing empathy will help keep the peace.
• Open up the lines of communication: You don't have to talk about anything else, but when it comes to your child, you need to have a communication plan in place. From texts to phone calls to emails, there are many ways to stay in touch.
• Respect his or her time with your child: When your ex-spouse is spending time with your child, don't interject yourself and spoil the experience.

Deciding to move forward with divorce is a big decision. For this reason, you should take as much time as you need.

However, while doing so, it's important to understand the impact of timing on many areas of your life.

Creating a parenting plan during your divorce is easier said than done, as you'll need to closely work with the other parent in order to figure everything out.

Despite the fact that you may not agree on every last detail, you'll want to go into the process with the idea that compromise will go a long way in putting a bad situation in the past.

Establishing parentage is exactly what you would expect. This means that you sign an official Declaration of Paternity or obtain a court order that outlines who the legal parents are.

It's important to understand the reasons to establish parentage, such as the fact that the child has the benefit of knowing for sure who both their parents are. Along with this, there are many legal rights that get passed along to the child, such as:

• Financial support from both their mother and father
• Legal documentation
• Access to family history and medical records
• Both parents' names on their birth certificate
• The ability to receive medical insurance coverage from either parent
• The opportunity to receive an inheritance from both parents
• The right to receive veteran's benefits and/or Social Security, if applicable