By Vasilia Polycarpou, The Sports Financial Literacy Academy
Healthy co-parenting requires setting emotions aside and compromising, with the child’s needs always taking precedence over personal concerns. For professional athletes, balancing a demanding career with complex co-parenting responsibilities can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. A sports career is highly demanding, with long training hours, extensive travel, and ever-changing schedules based on sport requirements. These demands can strain an athlete both physically and emotionally, making it difficult to be consistently present for their child.
Efficient time management and prioritization are crucial for athletes to balance training, competitions, travel, and quality time with their child. Athletes must create a schedule that allocates time for training and travel while also fostering stability by being present for their child.
Effective and regular communication between co-parents
Effective communication between co-parents is crucial for meeting the responsibilities of raising a child and avoiding conflicts. Athletes must dedicate time to discuss schedules with their co-parent, make joint parenting decisions, and manage expectations accordingly. Regularly updating each other on their child’s life, such as sharing an online calendar, ensures both parents are equally involved.
Creating a co-parenting plan helps address important issues, including visitation schedules, education, finances, medical needs, holidays, and special events. By establishing clear plans, athletes and their co-parents can maintain consistency and stability in their child’s life while managing their responsibilities.
Maintaining a good relationship with your child’s co-parent
Furthermore, maintaining a good relationship with their co-parent is necessary for making any arrangements work. Seeking professional help, such as a counsellor or mediator could also help in nurturing a healthy co-parenting relationship where boundaries are set and there is involvement from both parents. These professionals can help set guidelines for decision-making and conflict resolution.
Be adaptive
Being adaptable and willing to make compromises when needed, is important for healthy co-parenting. Especially since a child growing up needs a stable environment, characterized by consistency. For professional athletes, uncertainty is part of their career in sports, due to potential injuries, competition schedules and team transfers, among other things, which can disrupt co-parenting arrangements. In such cases, athletes need to be open to finding alternatives and compromising for what is deemed best for their child.
Have a support system
Having a trusted support system can be a game-changer for athletes dealing with the challenges of co-parenting. When athletes are traveling or competing, a reliable support system, including family, friends, or professional nannies, can step in and help. However, it is crucial for athletes not to over-rely on others, as this could undermine their own commitment to their child.
Athletes must maintain a balance, ensuring they stay physically and emotionally present in their child’s life, despite their demanding careers. Co-parenting presents many challenges for athletes, who must balance their athletic career with their responsibilities as a co-parent. Being proactive and addressing challenges can create stability for the child while allowing the athlete to achieve their career goals.
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