A divorce or separation is one way to end a toxic and negative relationship. But breaking up does not always mean that there is no communication or interaction between the partners, especially if the divorce involves minor children. For having a healthy development, children need a relationship with their parents. So, if the partnership between the parents does not work out for any reason, kids may have to go back and forth between the homes. To handle such situations, parents may encounter the phrase ‘parallel parenting’. According to the caregivers of Montessori La Palma CA, parallel parenting works better with the parents who share a hostile relationship.

If you are going through such a situation and thinking of opting for parallel parenting for your kids, you should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this.

Advantages of Parallel Parenting :

1. Less/no Interference – Parallel parenting enables both parents to have their own parenting style without any disturbance of the other parent. They are not answerable and do not have to give any explanation to each other for any of their actions. Though there is no control over the parenting style of the other parent, parents need to be more responsible in bringing up their children.
2. Reduced Stress – When parents are going through a divorce, children are also exposed to a great level of emotional turmoil. Parallel parenting is primarily meant to facilitate a healthy and peaceful environment for kids by protecting them from the negative effects of the conflicts between the parents. Since parents share less to no communication level, children are less exposed to the harshness of the toxic relationship between the parents. This definitely reduces stress for not only the parents but also the children.
3. Minimal interaction – One of the primary objectives of parallel parenting is that there should be as little interaction between the parents as possible. Montessori La Palma CA teachers have observed that this minimal interaction provides children a much needed peaceful environment to grow up in. When there is not much interaction between parents, children do not have to face much conflict or argument.
4. Allows gradual healing – Many people take years to get over the trauma of a bitter relationship and then divorce. The whole process not only affects the individuals but also their immediate family members. Constant communication with the ex jeopardizes this healing process when children are involved. So. In parallel parenting, both the partners get enough time and space to reflect and cope up with the situation.

Disadvantages of Parallel Parenting :

Though this is advantageous in many ways, the major disadvantage of parallel parenting is the conflicting childcare styles of different persons. Caregivers of our preschool has seen many children get trapped and confused since each parent decides the course of action without consulting the other.

Apparently, there is no difference between co-parenting and parallel parenting, but a closer look into both the approaches to help people to understand that both are quite different from each other. So, it is always good to have good research and understanding before taking any concrete decision.