North Carolina law requires that parents provide financial support to their children even if they aren’t in a relationship with the child’s other parent. The law also allows both parents to have visitation or custody rights to their kids. Therefore, you may be required to work with your former partner even if you don’t have a lot in common with them.
You won’t always get your way
Perhaps the hardest thing about parenting is that you won’t always get your way. It can also be difficult to resist the temptation to project your feelings onto the other parent as a way to cope with your hurt feelings. For example, you may claim that the other parent is doing a bad job of raising your child because your child can stay up later while there or gets to eat candy on a school night.
The relationship dynamic changes
While you may get along with your child’s other parent, you need to view it as a business relationship as opposed to a romantic one. Although you may think that getting back together with the other parent is a good idea, it’s more likely that you’re forgetting all the drawbacks associated with that relationship. Instead of helping yourself heal and move on with your life, you are simply recreating a toxic environment for yourself and your kids.
You’ll need to communicate
If you share custody of your kid with your former partner, you’ll need to engage in regular communication with the other parent. This can happen by phone, during weekly lunch meetings or other methods that work for both parties. Regardless of how you communicate, be sure to keep conversations civil and focused on what is best for your kids.
As a parent, it’s your duty to do what is best for your child even if it’s inconvenient for you. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing custody or visitation rights to your kids. You can contact the court overseeing the case if you have questions or concerns about an existing order.