In many Houston divorces, working out the specifics regarding the care of any children a divorcing couple may have is often the most contentious aspect of a split. Child custody and visitation needs to be decided upon in the best interest of the child. Many parents in Texas that divorce choose to co-parent so that children may have a meaningful relationship with both of their parents, just like any other child.
This can be difficult. As the child ages, they can become privy that mom or dad is more lenient with curfew, more generous with spending money or any other aspect where one parent deviates from the other. This can potentially cause conflict with all parties. For parents, it is best to avoid these situations by agreeing upon methods to raise children in a cohesive and agreed upon manner.
This is particularly important for teenagers. Even if parents are no longer married, large disagreements can be avoided if there are discussions and clear expectations surrounding everything from driving privileges to punishments for bad grades or drinking.
It is important that parents be on the same page to avoid conflicts between each other and delivering mixed messages to the teen. Teenagers are testing the boundaries and looking to assert their independence. Parents should consider discussing how each feels about tattoos, piercing, dying of the teen’s hair, and even rules surrounding boyfriends or girlfriends.
It could cause a big blow out if dad doesn’t like tattoos but Susie said mom let her. Having these discussions can avoid contentious situations and keep the harmony as much as possible for all parties involved. Ultimately, this will be in the best interest of the teen child.
Source: The Huffington Post, “7 Tips For Co-Parenting Teens,” Tara Fass, Jan. 23, 2013
- Our firm has experience handling all matters pertaining to divorce in Texas. For more information on similar aspects detailed above, please refer to our Houston child custody page.
