You and your ex are co-parenting your children after a divorce. You know that the two of you haven’t always seen eye-to-eye in terms of parenting styles when you were married, so now you’re wondering if you need to try to adopt the same style after the divorce.
First and foremost, all that you are obligated to do is to follow the divorce agreement and the child custody schedule. If the two of you have made agreements on specific things that you will do with the children, you need to adhere to those.
But you generally do not have to have the same parenting style and it is completely fine if you do things differently. For instance, you may have different bedtimes for the children or utilize different forms of discipline. Even if your ex does not approve of the way that you approach these things, you are typically not obligated to change your tactics.
A uniform approach can be beneficial
One thing to consider is that a uniform approach where you both have similar rules and schedules does help to make things feel more stable and consistent for the children. This can be beneficial to them and it can make parenting go a bit more smoothly for the two of you. So, while you don’t have to do anything the way that your ex wants you to, it may be worth considering exactly which battles you want to fight and where you’re willing to compromise to make life easier for you and for the kids.
Throughout this whole process, make sure you are also well aware of your parental rights and the legal steps you may need to take to protect your parenting interests.