One of the most important parts of co-parenting is the “co” part. Those 2 letters indicate a partnership, a mutual investment, and a mutual risk. If only one of you is deciding how to raise your kids, doing all of the work, and taking all of the risks, then that is NOT co-parenting. Working together for the best interests of your children helps them adjust better to both the incarceration (dad is still involved in their lives) and to the reentry when he comes home. It also creates a new and stronger commitment between you and the father of your children. It is so worth the investment!

When Ron was in prison, I had to fight the urge to just do everything myself when it came to raising our sons. It was quicker to just make all the decisions myself. But after I made a couple of decisions that did not turn out as well as I had thought they would, I realized that Ron had a different vantage point and could see things I could not see. I made a promise to myself that I would not rob my sons of the wisdom and influence of their father in their lives, read more.