A coParenting Holiday Story
Contrary to everything I tell other coParents, my husband and I moved very quickly when we decided to move in together. He had two kids, I had one, and we later added one of ours to the mix. When we first started dating so many years ago, he told me he had joint custody with his coParent, but I thought that meant joint custody like I had joint custody—every other weekend and rarely spoke to my children’s father. I soon came to realize his version of joint custody was vastly different than mine. The kids went back and forth on a weekly basis and his ex was always around.
We didn’t like each other—she still had a key to my house and used it and I was uncomfortable with that. After watching the kids we both squirmed each time we were in the same vicinity. We finally made a pact to be cordial for their sake, but it took years, mainly because we didn’t know better. We were living a new age coParenting relationship with an old fashion attitude about how you act after a break-up. It was a recipe for disaster.
I remember the first time I took the kids out to buy a Christmas present for their mother. Their dad had left it to the last minute, and he needed my help. I thought he was crazy. When you buy a present for someone, you have to consider what they like. I didn’t know, so I had to ask the kids. This engaged them in a conversation about their mother and I watched as they lit up telling me her likes and dislikes—and that’s when the light bulb went on. It wasn’t me against her—it was all of us for the kids we all loved—and all of a sudden the chore I was assigned became a privilege.
As the kids and I walked down the aisle considering this or that for their mother’s present, my then 9-year-old bonus-daughter, gave me a hug. “I’m so excited! This is so fun!” And, rather than feel jealousy or anger, I was elated that this simple act made her so happy—and it became a ritual. Every holiday I took the kids out to buy a present for their mother we became closer—and so did their mom and me. She knew who was taking them to buy the presents and it changed her attitude about me, as well.
Divorced parents will testify how the holidays change after a break-up. Days that you looked forward to for years become filled with negative emotions and you simply put on a happy face for the kids. Although I know this story is not for everyone, this simple act of putting the kids first changed everything, and in my case, the holidays became something to look forward to again.
My kids taught me the meaning behind “peace on earth…good will to everyone.” It’s love.
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About Dr. Jann Blackstone
