One of the most frequent consequences is a form of rivalry and competition between the parents to prove who is the better parent. Rather than being primarily concerned with the children's emotional, physical, and intellectual well-being, each custodial parent sees the other as if they each were contestants in a gardening contest. Typically each parent takes credit for the children's victories, and each one insists the other is to blame for the children's failures. It is also common for both parents to misinterpret what they see, as this father did when he concluded his quiet son was doing well. Parenting is not a competitive sport.
Cooperation is the key.
Some claim that cooperation is an unrealistic expectation of divorced parents. There is no question that cooperation is difficult for divorced parents, but failure to cooperate is guaranteed to hurt the children. All Rights Reserved.