Sharing custody of your child with the other parent can sometimes be challenging. In addition to handling the issues that can come with parenting, there might be personal problems lingering between the two of you that makes it hard to communicate with each other.  Here are some tips to help you and the other parent with sharing custody. 

Be Creative

Unfortunately, some people use shared custody as an opportunity to air grievances against the other parent. In some cases, it could be talking negatively about the other parent to the child or verbal abuse towards the parent. 

If you are the parent who is receiving this treatment, it is important to stay calm and think creatively when it comes to finding a solution. For instance, if the other parent sends you several abuse messages a day, limit your responses to only those that pertain to the actual care of the child. Ignore those that do not. 

By doing this, you are refusing to engage in arguing with the parent. At the same time, you are building the case for legal action if the abuse continues. 

Focus on Making Transitions Easier

Since you share custody with the other parent, your child is in the position of going back and forth between both of your homes. This can be stressful to the child and to both parents. To take some of the stress out of the situation, you and the other parent need to create a plan to make transitions easier. 

For instance, you can pack your child's belongings a couple of days ahead of the departure for the other parent's home. If possible, encourage your child to select items to leave at the other parent's home. This will eliminate the need to try to remember everything each time a visit is in order. 

Establish a Communication Schedule

It is important that you and the other parent are able to communicate with each other about your child. To ensure that both parties are well aware of all issues concerning the child and to discuss how to handle them, consider setting up a communication schedule.

You and the other parent can agree to speak at a scheduled time each week. If verbal communications end in arguments, try email communications. Remember to never send an email in anger. 

In the event that joint custody is not working or you feel that some restrictions or provisions need to be put into place, an attorney like Lois Iannone Attorney at Law can help you determine what legal options are available to make sharing custody easier.