Co-Parenting

Sleep is sometimes overrated. I’ve been up since the middle of the night because my two year old daughter decided it was time to come and cuddle with her daddy in bed. I remember doing the same thing as a child with my parents. I would always go to my mom’s side of the bed because I knew that I had a better chance of being able to stay. With my wife and I, our daughter has a better chance with me.

In parenting, especially “co-parenting”, it’s an important thing for parents to realize who is better at what and in what situations each parent should take the lead with their child. When parents can be more aware of their strengths and weaknesses as leaders to their children, they have a better chance of establishing rapport, respect, and good teachable moments with their kids.

For example, when it comes to patience, I wouldn’t win any awards and probably never will. I try to be patient, but as much progress as I make, I’ll never be as patient as my wife when it comes to our kids. She’s naturally better at being empathetic.

I on the other-hand am better at giving direction and establishing the rules in the house.

What my wife and I have found to be the most effective co-parenting strategy is to set ourselves up for success by putting ourselves in position to use our strengths the most and our weaknesses the least.

In everything, we back each other up and our kids know that if mom says it, it’s the same as dad saying it, and vice-versa. And the reason they know it is because each one tested it over and over again until each one of them now understands at a fundamental level that mom and dad are the same; they are a team; they make decisions together and for each other.