Are you confused about the coronavirus rules around co-parenting? Do you feel like you are losing touch with your children because of the restrictions in place? Are you struggling emotionally or are you noticing your children’s behaviour changing through lockdown? Speak to your specialists in family mediation in Bristol.

I am here to try and make everything a little clearer for you and to pass on some top tips, from experts, about how you can protect your mental health in these times of uncertainty.

If you have any questions or are looking for Family Mediation Services in Bristol, Kent, London or online, feel free to contact me on 07510 711453 or via my contact page.

First, let me start by clarifying the government guidelines on co-parenting in lockdown. Although the general rule for everyone right now is to stay at home and only leave for reasons that are absolutely necessary, there are exceptions to this rule. When it comes to children who share two homes with parents due to them being separated, “you can mix indoors where necessary with the other parent to allow your child to move between homes. A child moving between two parents who live separately is not counted as a childcare bubble. This means both you and the other parent can also form a childcare bubble with one other household.” This is taken directly from the government website which can be found here.

Secondly, allow me to comfort you in the fact that if you are feeling the stress and pressure more so now than ever, you are not alone. Here are some suggestions for you on ways you can try to manage the health and well-being of you and your family through these tough times:

1. Make it count – the time that you do get to spend with your children when you are in a co-parenting situation may well be restricted, but you are in complete control of the quality of that time spent together. Put the technology away, remove any other distractions and actually listen to one another.
2. Trust your child to be okay – “When we trust them to be okay, even when situations are challenging, we give them a powerful message that we believe in their ability. Trusting them to cope is so empowering for them – and for us” Oona Alexander, parenting expert and founder of Radically Loving Parenting.
3. Try not to catastrophise situations – it is so easy to fall into a trap where you worry about what might happen, try to base your decision making on truth and facts and ignore your more irrational responses.
4. Look after yourself – by allowing yourself to do things that make you feel better, you will be more equipped to deal with the stresses thrown at you by co-parenting disagreements or help your children cope with any pressures they may be feeling.
5. Give your child space to express their emotions – it may be that your child enjoys spending quality time with both parents individually but just struggles with the transition from one to the other, so try to show them some empathy and that you understand.
6. Show an interest in what your children are doing – make time to talk to them about subjects they really enjoy. The best gift you could give to your child is your undivided attention, now more than ever.

Finally, you should try to make things easy for yourself, co-parenting through coronavirus can be tough so you should try to “cut yourself some slack, when your children are around, make things as easy for yourself and them as you can.” (Oona Alexander)

Remember that parents don’t always get things right the first time, show your children that you and their other parent have a positive relationship and that you can work together to make life a little easier for them.

If you have any questions or are looking for Family Mediation Services in Bristol, Kent, London or online, feel free to contact me on 07510 711453 or via my contact page.