People who are journeying through the divorce process have often experienced some wounds, leading them to not trust each other. Throughout the marriage, trust can be lost if the relationship endures lying, conflict, and infidelity. This trust may continue to disappear during the co-parenting relationship if one parent does not keep their word, is often not on time for exchanges, or does not follow through with commitments. In some cases, you might even become suspicious of each other’s motives.
Once this trust is gone, it can be difficult to re-build it again. Your children make rebuilding trust through commitment essential. Rebuilding this may require the following Three C’s: Confidence, Commitment and Consistency.
To build confidence, consider:
- Believing in yourself as a parent
- Being considerate to your co-parent
- Taking action to support the other parent’s relationship with the children
- Understanding that rebuilding trust is not an easy process
To commit to this relationship you can try:
- Making your behaviors work in harmony with your words
- Showing commitment to your children as a top priority
- Committing yourself to telling the truth with each other
To be consistent in your co-parenting relationship, try to:
- Show consistency in all areas of your behavior with your co-parent
- Create an environment where your co-parent feels safe in your presence
This trust between co-parents is important, click here for more advice about making the adjustment.
Click here to contact your Vancouver WA divorce attorney to begin the process of setting up a co-parenting schedule.