The Importance Of Facilitating A Relationship Between Your Child And A Co-Parent

Ending romantic relationships is almost always difficult, but ending a relationship with someone with whom you share a child can be even more complicated. In fact, it may be more accurate to say that someone doesn’t actually end a relationship with a co-parent. Instead, the nature of that relationship will change from being a spouse or romantic partner to strictly being partners who are in the business of raising a child together. While it may be difficult for some couples, an important part of this new partnership is facilitating a relationship between their children and their co-parent, as doing so is critical not only to the child’s happiness and development, but is also required under state law. To learn more about what is required of you under the terms of your own parenting plan, please reach out to our experienced Fort Lauderdale child custody lawyers today.

Your Child’s Development

The first reason that a person will want to ensure that his or her child has a solid relationship with a co-parent is simply, the well-being of the child. It has been established that a strong parent-child relationship is essential not only to a child’s happiness, but also for his or her emotional development. For instance, children who have a healthy and secure attachment to a parental figure will be more likely to develop good relationships with other people down the line.  A secure parent-child relationship can also help children better manage their stress and emotions, which can prove especially important during and immediately after the parent’s separation.

Best Interests of the Child

Florida judges assess a number of different factors when determining what kind of custody arrangement would be in a child’s best interests. For instance, courts specifically look to the capacity and disposition of each parent to facilitate and encourage a close and continuing relationship between their child and the other parent as demonstrated by a willingness to:

• Honor the time-sharing schedule; and
• Be reasonable when changes are necessary.

This means that in order to facilitate a relationship between a child and a co-parent, individuals must be willing to abide by the time-sharing schedule put in place by the court, so that the child will have the same opportunity to develop a relationship with each parent. Courts will also look at a parent’s attitude, including whether they disparage the other parent in front of the child or make that child feel guilty about the visitation schedule. It’s also important to note that how this facilitation looks will also depend on the nature of the parties’ circumstances. If one parent lives out of the state, for instance, facilitating a relationship may involve encouraging regular phone or video calls, rather than implementing regular visitation.

Enlist Our Help Today

Facilitating your child’s relationship with an ex-partner can be complicated. To learn more about this, and the other factors that courts will assess when determining or approving a parenting plan for your child, please contact dedicated child custody lawyer Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. Call us at 954-945-7591 today, so we can start putting our experience and knowledge at your service.

Source:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2817796/