When you and your spouse have built substantial careers, businesses or investments, you may expect the financial side of your divorce to create most of the conflict. Yet money may not account for every source of tension. Disagreements about your children can create just as much stress, especially when you and your spouse struggle to communicate or make decisions together. A parenting coordinator can help bring structure to these ongoing conflicts.
Here are the ways they can fit into a high-conflict arrangement.
Managing recurring parenting disputes
A parenting coordinator helps you deal with ongoing disputes about your children. Instead of returning to court each time a disagreement arises, you can use this process to work through recurring problems and find practical solutions.
Supporting communication between parents
A parenting coordinator can help when you and your spouse struggle to discuss parenting issues without conflict. The coordinator can keep the conversation focused on your children and help you address disagreements in a more productive way.
This support can matter when you both have demanding careers, frequent travel or other commitments that make your parenting schedule harder to manage.
Addressing day-to-day parenting issues
A coordinator may help with many of the everyday issues that arise under your parenting arrangement, such as:
- Parenting-time schedules and exchanges
- School-related disagreements within the coordinator’s authority
- Activities and extracurricular commitments
- Other recurring disagreements about your children’s care
The process focuses on resolving these disputes within your existing parenting arrangement. It does not require you to revisit every issue in court.
Clarifying the coordinator’s role
A parenting coordinator does not replace your attorney or take over your role as a parent. Your case determines what the coordinator can do, so you need to understand the limits of that role.
Ohio law asks courts and parents to consider factors such as a child’s safety, health, stability and physical care when creating parenting arrangements. The law also seeks to limit a child’s exposure to harmful conflict between parents.
Know when coordination may help
If you and your spouse keep having the same parenting disputes, coordination may give you a more structured way to address them. Review your parenting plan and the nature of your conflicts with an Ohio family law attorney. This can help you determine whether parenting coordination fits your situation and what authority a coordinator would have in your case.
