Co-Parenting: If She Can Do It…

Some parents can support their children relatively easily after a divorce; some cannot. For those who cannot, a surprising role model comes to us in the form of Madonna Louise Ciccone, better known to the world as Madonna.

According to The New York Times, Madonna and her ex-husband Guy Ritchie teamed up on a weekend in July to support their son Rocco at his bar mitzvah held in New York City. The acrimonious divorce of this pair netted Mr. Ritchie a sizeable financial award and became the stuff of headlines in 2008. Yet, several years later, both parties are able to put it aside in favor of their son.

For celebrities and ordinary people alike, parenting after divorce is always hard work. Co-parenting to a family law judge means that the two parents work together for the best interest of the children. Keeping to schedules, maintaining communication and trying to do it with a smile in front of the children is not always easy. A united emotional front is always a better picture for children than an undercurrent of distrust and dislike.

Activities to consider for re-formed families include:

• Pick one former family tradition and keep it.
• Choose one or more days a year to go out to breakfast together.
• Attend school events or other gatherings as a family.
• Create opportunities for blended families to meet and learn about each other.

For many, it takes years for the hurt and insult of an acrimonious divorce to dissipate, if it ever does. Whether you can work with your ex-spouse to create a united parenting front for your children or not, doing the best you can for your children, and maintaining respect for yourself, is vital.

Inspiration comes in surprising places. If Madonna can do it …