Many spouses who file for divorce in Minnesota will have to co-parent with their ex. While this can be difficult no matter the age of the kids, co-parenting teenagers comes with unique challenges. It’s important to consider some of the most common mistakes parents make when co-parenting teens.

Failing to communicate is a major blunder that many exes make when co-parenting teenage children. Lots of parents assume that their child will naturally share important information with them. This may not be true when it comes to teenagers. It is important to talk to the other parent about what is going on with a teenage child.

Teenagers often want to take advantage of opportunities that give them more freedom. When parents fail to communicate and coordinate their plans, teens may get an opportunity to seize even more freedom.

Another consideration is how a teenager’s schedule and activities may change as they grow older. Teenagers will need to split time between friends, school work, time with family, extracurricular activities and potentially even a job. Being too strict about a parenting schedule could add too much stress to a teen’s life.

A family law attorney may be able to help a parent who is going through a divorce negotiate a parenting plan that is likely to work well for their family. A good parenting plan takes into account the needs of each child as well as the schedules of each parent.

Sometimes, it is difficult to communicate with a former spouse. If communication breaks down, it can be very difficult to co-parent a child of any age. If the other parent is intentionally disobeying a previous court order, an attorney could file a petition to request an order of contempt or a post-decree modification.