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What is parallel parenting?

On Behalf of | Jul 21, 2024 | Family Law |

Parents who are going through a divorce have to determine what type of parenting style arrangement they’re going to use. One option is parallel parenting, which is suitable for situations when working closely together isn’t possible. 

Children who have parents who are using the parallel parenting arrangement may not worry about their arguing because the parents have minimal contact. The downside to this is that the children have to learn and adjust to two very distinct sets of home rules.

Important considerations for parallel parenting

Parallel parenting doesn’t require the parents to have constant communication with each other. Typically, parents only communicate when it’s absolutely necessary, such as if there’s an emergency or something else that has to do with the children. 

There aren’t any joint events, such as birthday parties for the children. If the parents attend the same event for the children, such as school plays, they do so separately. 

Each parent’s home is run in the manner that the parent feels is best. Neither parent interferes with the other one’s parenting methods as long as those methods aren’t threatening the well-being of the children. There aren’t any joint rules that apply universally to both homes.

In most parallel parenting situations, each parent has specific aspects of the child’s life they make decisions about. For example, one parent may make decisions about school, while the other parent may make health care decisions. Assigning a parent for each major area of decision-making takes the guesswork out of the situation.

Having a comprehensive parenting plan in place is beneficial for parallel parenting. The agreement may need to be reviewed periodically to ensure it still meets the needs of the children.