Co-parenting is a challenge even when both adults have the same values and priorities. In cases involving very different perspectives on parenting or a very uneven distribution of parenting time, calmly sharing custody can be far more difficult.
A Disneyland parent can be a nightmare for the responsible adult who consistently shows up for their children. They may plan adventures and leave the other parent to handle illnesses and discipline.
What is a Disneyland parent?
Disneyland parents generally have less than fully-shared parenting time. They may only take the children on weekends or possibly even less frequently than that.
When they do have the children, they don’t bother themselves with test preparation, homework and household responsibilities. Instead, they try to make things as fun as possible for the kids. They take them to Disneyland, buy them toys and ignore typical parental responsibilities.
How to survive a Disneyland co-parent
Parents generally cannot micromanage what the other does during their parenting time. They can document unmet needs and similar concerns to pursue a modification. Otherwise, they can’t stop a co-parent from being overly indulgent during their time.
The parent left doing all of the discipline and managing daily life for the children may want to prioritize making plans that allow them to create positive and fun memories with the children, especially given that they cannot prevent the other parent from ignoring their responsibilities during their parenting time.
Children (usually) eventually grow up to understand that Disneyland parents were less involved and dedicated than parents who showed up every day and handled the difficult aspects of parenting. Finding ways to navigate the emotional fallout of co-parenting with a Disneyland parent can help people minimize custody conflict and better ensure a strong connection with their children.