Many people view divorce as a complete break with their ex. While this is true for some people, it isn’t even close to the way things will happen if you share children. You’ll still have to deal with your ex on a lot of things if you have children together, especially if the kids still live at home. Preparing yourself for a new normal can help you to reduce your stress.
It’s possible that you’ll have to work out some basic parenting rules with your ex. Don’t think that you’ll be able to do whatever you want with the children. Your ex will still have a say in many things. This might include what medical care the children receive, specific points about their education, their religious upbringing and more.
You’re going to have to deal with an evolving relationship with your ex. While the romantic aspects of your relationship have ended, you’re still tied together through your children. You might find that this is hard to handle even if you were all for the divorce. You have to focus on building a strong parenting relationship with your ex because you’re going to have many years to share with them.
You will likely see a lot more of your ex than what you expected after the divorce. Your child will probably want both parents present for major life events, such as graduations, weddings and the birth of grandchildren. Because of this, it’s a good idea to try to keep things respectful between you and your ex. Having a solid parenting plan that reduces contention might be a good start to help this happen.