7 Co-Parenting Resolutions for the New Year

The new year marks a great time to turn a new leaf or chapter on old ways. January feels like a fresh start. That makes it the perfect kickoff point for anyone mulling over new goals and plotting how to achieve them.

Co-parenting success often requires reviewing old ways of doing things, determining how well they worked, revising, and trying again. While you likely do it all the time, analyze what co-parenting aspects worked well for you last year and what could use some tweaking.

Consider focusing on relationships as they powerfully affect your daily life. Think about it–those stressful interactions can drive you to overeat, smoke, or overspend. Easier relationships can help you out with the rest of your goals.

Whether you want a better relationship with your children, co-parent, or ex-in-laws, count the approaching new year as the catalyst and motivation you need.

There’s never any time like the present to begin improving your life. Consider the following co-parenting resolutions for the new year or any time in the next 365 days.

1. Construct and Respect Boundaries

Relationships require boundaries. Set and respectfully communicate your boundaries to your co-parent or child. Accept and honor theirs, too.

Need help figuring out where to start with boundaries? Some ideas include:

• Timing and frequency of communications with your child when it’s the other parent’s time with them
• Timing a frequency of communication with your co-parent
• Being on time at custody exchanges
• How you speak about your co-parent to your child
• Not making your child a go-between for delivering messages

Need to communicate with your co-parent over schedules, child support, or anything else? Do so through a co-parenting app, not your child.

2. Establish a Professional Relationship

Dealing with an ex-love can be difficult. You may still have raw emotions from splitting up.

View your co-parenting relationship as you would a professional one. You two are in business together–the business of raising well-adjusted children.

You won’t agree on everything and don’t have to for a strong business relationship. You do have to communicate regularly and respectfully, though.

Keep your communications child-focused. A divorced family app can help you maintain communication, respect, and documentation.

3. Find Common Ground

Does it seem like you and your co-parent disagree over almost everything? The one thing you likely have in common is your love for your child. That sets the stage for a common cause you both can rally behind.

Recognize what you have in common–like loving your children. Accept your co-parent’s role and meaning in your child’s life. Honor their authority. Acknowledge their good intentions in their parenting choices.

It takes a village of many types of personalities to raise a well-rounded child. Your co-parent is doing right by your child as long as they aren’t neglecting, abusing, or placing them in inappropriate situations.

4. Give to Get

Avoid a “my way or the highway” mindset. Giving in a little helps boost the communication and trust between you and your co-parent.

Don’t immediately discount their ideas. Say yes more often or take their suggestions as jumping-off points for compromise.

Your co-parent is likely to return the favor. In doing so, you also model peace, decision-making, and teamwork for your child.

5. Perform Self-Care

You owe it to yourself and your child to be your best. You get one body to live in your whole life, so take good care of it. That includes mental wellness, too, not just physical.

Shed those angry feelings by meditating, journaling, and educating yourself on shifting your mindset. Consider meeting with a therapist for extra tools and a listening ear.

Focus on positive things in your life. Practice daily, mindful moments of gratitude.

Exercise–it’s what nature intended. As a bonus, doing so releases endorphins (feel-good hormones).

It’s okay to be alone sometimes, especially to recharge, but don’t isolate yourself for long periods of time. Make time to be with friends and family. Find a hobby and hobby group that makes you happy.

Eat whole food. Processed foods lack nutrients and are typically high in carbs, spiking your blood sugars but resulting in an energy crisis afterward. That crash can send your mood spiraling downward.

Taking care of yourself helps you parent more mindfully. You’ll improve your mood and energy, lower your stress, and feel better.

6. Learn to Pick Your Battles

Don’t make mountains out of molehills.

You are only hurting yourself if you turn minor disagreements into big battles. Others around you will learn to avoid you or lie to you. Your arguments will become so commonplace that no one will take you seriously.

Be open-minded, flexible, and not so easily annoyed with your co-parent. Lean into your mental self-care techniques and your mental health therapist.

7. Commit to Working as a Team

Your willingness to cooperate and collaborate is a choice. Cooperate as much as possible with your co-parent and any significant others in their lives.

Use your divorced parenting app to make communications with your co-parent easier, more business-like, and well-documented.

Resolve to Make a Better Year

The new year is coming. Are you ready to begin it with purpose?

You have the power to improve your life. Reflecting on where you are and where you want to be a year from now can help you harness that power.

No matter what time of year you read this, it’s never too late to set goals for improved family dynamics with your child or co-parent.

Write down your resolutions. Start with this guide if you’re unsure of what they should be. Keep them where you can revisit them to help you co-parent with intention throughout the year.