For too many people, co-parenting tends to be fraught with frustration and communication breakdowns. For those who are annoyed the other parent isn’t responding to your texts or calls, that lack of cooperation probably highlights the reason you are not together. Stuff like that can also be a huge emotional trigger.
But at the end of the day, both of you want to be excellent parents who follow through. Whether that means knowing a child’s activity schedule or being on top of homework, most people want to do right by their children. Fortunately for people who get sidetracked by a strained relationship with the other parent, technology is coming to the rescue. These apps are helping everyday people enhance their co-parenting effectiveness while lowering stress.
- 2houses: This popular app serves upwards of 160,000 families in more than 160 countries by keeping communication open. When phone calls, text messages, and emails don’t seem to be working — or go passively aggressively unanswered — 2houses is a direct parent-to-parent information link. This app creates an informational wellspring that includes your child’s activity schedules, medical information, appointments, messaging service, and other benefits.
- Cozi: If the emotional triggers are relatively low between the parents, this app helps streamline and organize child-related issues. Cozi is all about sharing information, and you can include any pertinent item. It also keeps track of your child’s achievements, so both parents are in the loop. This award-winning app has a free version if you don’t mind ads.
- lendar: Many parents already have this app but have not considered using it for co-parenting. It’s a straightforward organizer that requires other types of communication. If both of you are relatively good at following through, this basic organizer may be all you need.
- Our Family Wizard: The magical part of this app is that it helps deescalate otherwise heated interactions with your ex. You can share items that trigger an emotional response such as expenses on the platform and put off talking until everyone is calm. Like other apps, OFW helps communicate schedules and other organizational needs.
There’s little doubt that parents love their children and want them to be happy. These apps can prove useful as long as you and the other parent are realistic about which makes sense. Regardless of your current level of communication, we’re all just human. Tomorrow we can be even better people and parents.