Sometimes a relationship just doesn’t work out, and it is best for everyone that you and your partner go separate ways. Separating from your partner is not a bad thing, and though there will be some changes that will happen in your kids' life from it, there is a way to successfully co-parent with your ex.
Celebrities are just like us too and sometimes get into relationships that are not successful, but they end up having one of the greatest gifts from a relationship: their kids. So if you are co-parenting, here are ten celebrity quotes that will encourage you to try your best in this new stage of your family’s life.
10 Remind Your Kids That Their Parents Love Them
When Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony were together they had two beautiful children together. But not everything was perfect in their lives and ended up splitting in 2014. Since then Lopez and Anthony have been very committed to co-parenting together. Lopez knows just how important it is for her and Anthony to be on the same page with it comes to raising their kids. That is why Lopez believes it important to remind your kids how much the other parent still loves them even if they are not with them. In an interview with HuffPost, Lopez had this to say about co-parenting:
“I feel it’s my responsibility as a mom when their dad is not there to let them know that their dad loves them very much because that’s the doubt that they have when he’s not around or they haven’t seen him. That’s my job to do that the same way it’s his job when he’s with them to say, ‘Mommy is working and she loves you.’”
We love how committed Lopez and Anthony are to their kids and making sure they feel safe and loved.
9 Rebuild Some Type Of Relationship With Your Ex
Kate Hudson is known for her amazing talents as an actress. But when she and her musician partner, Matt Bellamy ended their relationship, Hudson became a role model to other moms about who she co-parents her son with her ex. Hudson knows what is important not just for her, but also for her son. When talking to Allure, Hudson had this to say about co-parenting with Bellamy.
"If Matt and I had a great relationship, we would still be together, but we chose to move on because we had different visions of how we wanted to live our lives. That doesn't mean, though, that we can't rebuild something that would be the best thing for the kids."
The fact that both Hudson and Bellamy are mature enough to put their differences aside and focus on having a healthy relationship with each other is what their son is going to need. And when their child grows up he is able to look for healthy relationships just like his parents taught him to have.
8 Watch What You Say
Kids are impressionable and they hear everything and actress Hilary Duff and her ex-husband, hockey player Mike Comrie, know how important it is to watch what they say.When discussing co-parenting with Parents, Duff had this comment:
“I took my time with everything and I think that was the best for me and for Luca. And watching what you say is key, key, key."
No child wants to hear anything bad about the person who loves and takes care of them. This is when you need to put your personal differences aside and focus on what is best for your little one.
7 Put Your Ego Aside
Ending a relationship is hard, especially if you ended up creating a child together with your partner because now you have to work together to raise a child. It doesn't matter who did what, why the relationship ended, or what your personal feelings are towards the other is; the only thing that matters now is your child. Frozen and Broadway star Idina Menzel, and her actor ex-husband, Taye Diggs, know how to get let it go and put their ego aside for their little one. When Menzel was sitting down with People, she gave some advice about co-parenting that some people need to hear.
“[Our son] comes first and you have to get past your own egos and you never talk bad about each other."
Putting your egos aside is going to be one of the best things you can do for your child. Remember that you do not come first when you have a little one. So make the effort and do what is best for your baby.
6 Have Family Time Together
When parents of a child end their romantic relationship and separate your children can be confused about what is happening, especially if they are young. It is important to remember that you and your partner still have time together as a family with your children. This doesn't mean every day you need to be together, but make sure to spend some time with your children so they can be with their whole family. When model and actress Amber Rose and her ex, rapper Wiz Khalifa, split they still knew how important it was for their child to see them as a family still. Rose had this to say about co-parenting with Khalifa to People.
"I have pictures up of me and Wiz in [our son's] room so he can always come in and see us being happy together. We try to have family days with him, even though we're not together. Kids want to see their parents together and if you can't be together in a relationship, you've got to come together as friends for your baby.”
When you and your partner spit up take Rose’s advice and remember that you are still a family, just one that doesn’t live together.
5 Be Selfless
Becoming a parent is a life-changing decision. Now you have a whole person to take care of and watch as the grow up. But sometimes when you and your partner separate you can get caught up in the emotion and drama and forget about what is important. In an interview with People, actor and musician, Nick Cannon, had this to say about co-parenting with his ex, singer, Mariah Carey.
"At the end of the day, you've got to be a little selfless. You have to say 'It's not about us.’”
You love hearing that Cannon and Carey know that even if they are not always with their child they should still be selfless when it comes to co-parenting.
4 Take It Day By Day
Having kids changes everything. Kids are full of energy and want to have attention and stimulation in their lives. When you have more than one child things can become even more hectic. So it can be difficult to see what life is going to be like a day from now let alone years from now. And when you are co-parenting there are a lot of unknowns that you and your ex are going to have to face. Actor, Ben Affleck, and his ex-wife, actress Jennifer Garner, are not trying to predict the future and are taking it one day at a time, according to CBS News.
"We're doing our very best and we're putting our kids first and that's how we're focusing on our day-to-day lives and we don't know what the future's going to hold, but each step that we take is one where we prioritize our children and everything else comes second."
Taking it slow and focusing on your day-to-day lives can be great for both the parents and kids involved when it comes to co-parenting.
3 Communication Is Key
When reality stars, Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick ended their relationship, the whole world was still able to see how they co-parent due to their famous reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. It was them wanting to raise their kids successfully, even if they are apart to realize how important communication is. E Online has reported that Kardashian says that communication is everything when it comes to co-parenting.
"I find co-parenting really easy. Scott and I communicate all the time. You have to keep discussing what's going on because as the children grow older, the rules need to be renegotiated.”
We love that Kardashian and Disick know that they need to communicate to be successful parents. Remember that as your little ones grow you and your ex are going to need to know what is going on and are on the same page, so make sure to communicate.
2 Value The Importance Of Family
Families can be complicated at times and this is true if you and your partner are going separate ways after having a child together. But even if you and your partner are splitting up you guys will always be a family due to the little one you created. So just because you are co-parenting doesn't mean that the value of family goes way, it just means it will be a little different. Actress, Gwyneth Paltrow talked about the importance of family and co-parenting with singer Chris Martin, to E Online.
"I think, unfortunately, though we couldn't stay in a romantic relationship...our values are very much around the importance of family and the importance of those relationships, and I'm lucky that we're aligned in that way. And it's been hard, and you know, like, we've gone through really difficult times with it but we've always said these children are our priority."
Talk to your ex about your children and what your new version of your family looks like.
1 The Kids Come First
Children view the world differently than adults. Kids are full of wonder and imagination, but they also need someone to care for them and look after them. But when a change happens in a child’s life, like their parents separating things can become a little shaky for them. With a huge change of not living with each parent and not knowing what their life is going to be like, parents need to step up and put their kids first. Actor Ryan Phillippe spent time with ET Online to discuss co-parenting with actress Reese Witherspoon.
"You have to get to that point as a divorced parent, as any parent, where you're not putting yourself first. You want the kids' experience to be its own and not like, 'Well, I need to have my time!' We have been very good about that."
Phillppe is right, kids only have one childhood and they do not want to get pushed onto the back burner because you and your partner split up. Put your kids first and remember to have fun with your little one to make good memories for your kids.