Court ordered parenting class - worth it or nah?

Dec 15·1 min read

Judge made both of us take an online co-parenting class before finalizing custody. I was annoyed about it (felt like a waste of time, not my first rodeo as a parent). But tbh there was some useful stuff in there about managing conflict in front of the kids and communication strategies. Not saying it changed my life or anything, but if you're ordered to do one, at least engage with it? There's probably something in there you haven't thought about.

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Comments(5)

SSam P.Regularjust now

What specific strategies from the class ended up being helpful? Asking because we might be heading toward a similar situation and I'm trying to figure out if it's worth the eye-roll or actually legitimate.

DDom F.Regular11h ago

This is a good take. I went in mad about the waste of time and also came out like... okay that actually made sense, especially the stuff about not bad-mouthing the other parent. Kids pick up on that immediately.

DDave K.Regular1d ago

The real value of court-ordered co-parenting classes is that you have to sit through something TOGETHER even if you don't want to. Forces you to engage with the material even if you're annoyed about it.

EEd P.Regular2h ago

Honest question though - did the class actually change how you interact with your ex, or just make you aware of patterns you were already doing? Because there's a difference between understanding something intellectually and actually changing behavior.

HHenry M.Regular8h ago

Glad you got something out of it. A lot of those classes ARE designed to be at least somewhat useful even when they feel performative. The communication strategies stuff actually matters in co-parenting situations.