Smart Parenting During and After Divorce: Co-Parenting in Medical Emergencies

Work out emergency medical contact procedures beforehand. Trade cell phone or pager numbers that can be used in cases of emergency. Make sure you have the name of a relative, friend, or family member who can get in touch with the co-parent if you can't. Remember that coparenting requires cooperation. You will not be doing a sick or injured child any favors by arguing at a hospital or doctor's office. Aside from the stress it will cause for your child, you will interfere with medical professionals' ability to do their job.

If things get too tense, separate yourselves. If a doctor comes over to you first, call the co-parent over to listen to what she has to say, or direct the doctor to talk to the co-parent next.

If your child goes to the emergency room for any reason, do not wait until the next day, or "your next free moment," to call the co-parent. I have seen this type of situation create long-standing problems in the coparenting relationship. Remember, your child's needs always come first.

You might be thinking, "I would love to be able to work this way with my co-parent, but I can't because he is completely unreasonable." All I can say about this is that there are a million reasons people can come up with for not being able to do what is best for their children. After the millionth reason has been given, the fact remains that when one parent is able to bite their tongue and do what is best for their children, that is what helps them most.