The Pretti Entrepreneur x Co-Parenting: 10 Phrases I’ll Be Adding to My Co-Parenting Vocabulary (and 10 I’ll Take Out)

Y’all therapy has been interesting as all hell.

So, boom right…

Over the past week, like y’all I’ve found myself growing weary of Jada Pinkett-Smith and her style of storytelling.

But Baby!!!

I came close this morning to sharing my personal struggles on Facebook with all of you. Learning to co-parent the second time around has proven to be quite challenging. He and I are different individuals who were raised in entirely different environments, and it’s been a struggle. Not only finding a rhythm that works for us both but finding ways to communicate things only one of us has a point of reference for. Like I said I’m learning to do this for a second time, and by now we all know I’m a control freak. 

But then, seemingly out of nowhere, I found myself singing ‘let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me,’ a song my parents used to sing to us when we were kids. If I were to share my prayer journal with you, you’d see that I’m committed to being the change I want to see. So, instead of venting on my socials about how challenging it is to put my child first while learning to cooperate with someone I’ve already chosen not to share my life with, I wanted to take the advice of one of my favorite coaches, “your story is not yours to hoard”. So I created two lists. One is about the ten phrases I’ve been saying that may have upset one or both of my children’s dads, and the other lists phrases I’d like to start using instead.

Phrases That Reek Havoc in My Co-Parenting Dynamics

“You’re a terrible parent.”

“I’m the better parent.”

“I don’t care what you think.”

“It’s my way or the highway.”

“You always do this.”

“This is none of your business.”

“You’re overreacting.”

“I’m taking the kids and leaving.”

“I can’t stand you.”

“I wish we never had kids together.”

The Phrases That Maintain My Crown While Co-Parenting

“Let’s prioritize our child’s needs.”

“I appreciate your input on this.”

“How can we make this work for both of us?”

“I understand your point of view.”

“What is your plan for that?”

“Our child’s well-being comes first.”

“I’m willing to compromise on this.”

“We’re a team, even if we’re not together.”

“Thank you for being flexible.”

“Can we find a solution that benefits our child?”

Not sure how long it will take my higher self to get what she set out to accomplish but I know it isn’t enough to gentle parent anymore.