May 27, 2021
The dissolution of a marriage is never easy, but it’s even more difficult when you have children together. The other person will always be in your life as your co-parent, which means that you relationship with each other must evolve accordingly to continue supporting your child. Instead of being romantic partners or spouses, you are now partners in raising your children to the best of your abilities. Part of this task is to make sure your children enjoy a healthy relationship with each parent.
Suppose the end of your romantic relationship was heated and bitter. In that case, you may be wondering if it’s worth investing in your children’s future relationship with your former spouse and ensuring they get the support they need. Due to the nature of your relationship with your former spouse, you may believe that person does not deserve to spend time with your children or that person cannot care for your children as well as you can. Here’s what you need to know:
Why You Should Involve The Other Parent in Your Child’s Life
Every child deserves to have two loving parents who can give them the care they need to thrive and grow into themselves. Strong parent-child relationships are essential to your children’s health, as they’ll learn what healthy, secure attachments look like, teaching them how to form them with other people in their lives. They will also learn how to regulate their emotions properly, manage stress, and grow to be self-sufficient and independent.
Florida especially understands the importance of keeping both parents in children’s lives as much as possible, which is why it is important to support your children’s relationship with their other parent. It is in the child’s best interest, which the court considers when determining time-sharing and parental responsibility. The court will also account for each parent’s willingness to support these ties when establishing a parenting plan.
How to Support A Relationship Between Your Child and Co-Parent
According to the Florida Statutes, each parent must demonstrate a capacity to facilitate and encourage a close and continuing relationship between the parent and child. Each parent must also honor the time-sharing schedule and be agreeable to reasonable changes when they are necessary.
It’s important to note that facilitating a good relationship between your children and the other parent doesn’t mean that you’ll give the other parent free rein over your children, allowing them unlimited time and parenting without limits. It means that you must be willing to follow the time-sharing schedule dictated by the court to allow equal time for your children to develop a strong relationship with each parent.
However, while respecting the schedule is crucial, you must also be flexible when the situation arises. For example, when the other parent suddenly needs to attend to a work emergency on the night they were supposed to spend with the children, it would be reasonable to agree to swap nights. On the other hand, if you believe that the other parent is taking advantage of your agreeableness, you will need to document these instances and bring them with you to court.
If you believe that your children are in genuine danger when they are with their other parent, such as being exposed to alcohol or drug abuse, it’s essential to notify the court of this. While children must still have the opportunity to get to be with their other parent, they must be exposed to a harmful environment or neglect.
Conclusion
Facilitating a close, healthy parent-child relationship is crucial to your children’s developmental growth and success as a mature adult. By following our guide, you will ensure that your children can get to know their other parent in healthy circumstances and understand that you and your partner still love them even though you are no longer together.
The Dorsey Law Firm of Jacksonville is home to lawyers with an extensive background in family law, criminal law, and serious personal injury. We take pride in aggressively representing our clients in all family law matters, whether emergencies, injunctions against domestic violence, or the dissolution of a marriage. Contact us today to speak with an attorney!
