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The blog
Co-parenting, the calm way.
Practical, UK-first writing for separated families — the everyday reality of raising children across two homes, and how to take the heat out of it. Honest, kids-first, and never legal or clinical advice.
Latest from ParentGlow
- Blog When a handover is tied to school rather than a clock time
- Blog Varying a child arrangements order: when agreement is enough, and when parents apply back to court
- Blog SEND delays and separated parents: keeping information shared across two homes
- Blog A 5-2 and a 2-2-5-5 co-parenting schedule: how school handovers change the pattern
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Plans and arrangements · 7 min read
When a handover is tied to school rather than a clock time
A Monday morning school handover can be a clear arrangement, but it is an event rather than a time. The plan needs to say what happens when school does not happen.
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Co-parenting life · 9 min read
Varying a child arrangements order: when agreement is enough, and when parents apply back to court
A written agreement can cover the day to day. It does not, on its own, change the court order or make the new plan enforceable. Here is the distinction GOV.UK draws.
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School and support · 8 min read
SEND delays and separated parents: keeping information shared across two homes
When SEND information arrives slowly, it is easy for one school email, appointment or draft plan to become another thing a child has to carry between homes. A small shared record can keep the practical facts in reach while parents use current official guidance for the formal next step.
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Plans and arrangements · 9 min read
A 5-2 and a 2-2-5-5 co-parenting schedule: how school handovers change the pattern
A 5-2 can keep the school week in one home. A 2-2-5-5 can share the fortnight and still keep two weekdays fixed. The useful question is which of those a child can follow, and whether a school day can be the handover so the adults do not have to meet.
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Plans and arrangements · 8 min read
2-2-3 vs 3-4-4-3 co-parenting schedules: how to choose
A 2-2-3 and a 3-4-4-3 are two ways of sharing a fortnight. The useful comparison is handovers, longer stays and whether a child can follow the routine, not which pattern looks fairest on paper.
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Co-parenting life · 7 min read
Child Focused Courts: the procedure has changed, the law has not
The first Court of Appeal decision on the Child Focused Court model says the new process has not changed the law. Practice Direction 12J still applies in full.
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Co-parenting life · 7 min read
Separate birthday parties after separation: how to decide what works for your child
A joint party is not automatically the kindest choice, and separate celebrations are not automatically a problem. The useful question is whether the plan lets your child enjoy their birthday without carrying the adults' feelings.
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Practical co-parenting · 6 min read
How to document co-parenting issues factually
A simple, child-focused way to note handovers, delays and missing information without turning your record into an argument.
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Co-parenting life · 7 min read
The hidden mental load of co-parenting (and how to actually share it)
It rarely shows up as one big thing. It shows up as a hundred small ones — and after a separation, the invisible admin of two homes usually lands on one parent.
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Co-parenting life · 7 min read
How to start co-parenting: getting the first 90 days onto a calm footing
The first weeks after a separation are the hardest time to make good decisions — and the time you're asked to make the most of them. Here's the handful of things that genuinely matter first.
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Co-parenting life · 7 min read
How to tell your children you're separating (without making it harder for them)
There's no version of this conversation that doesn't hurt. You can't make it painless — but you can make it safer, and how you handle it shapes what your children take from this moment for years.
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Co-parenting life · 7 min read
Introducing a new partner: co-parenting when someone new comes along
Meeting someone new after a separation is a good thing. But for your children, a new partner is another change on top of a year that's already had too many — and the difference is mostly timing, communication and pace.
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Co-parenting life · 6 min read
Long-distance co-parenting: how to stay close when you live apart
Living a long way from your child is one of the hardest shapes co-parenting can take. But distance doesn't have to mean distant — children stay close to a parent they can count on, not only a parent who's nearby.
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Co-parenting life · 7 min read
Co-parenting as your children grow: from toddler to teen
The arrangement you carefully worked out when your child was two will, sooner or later, start to chafe — because the child it was designed for no longer exists.
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Co-parenting life · 6 min read
How to write calmer co-parenting messages (before you hit send)
The message you fire off in the heat of the moment is the one that costs you the next week. Calmer messages are a skill, not a personality trait — here's the formula.
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Co-parenting life · 10 min read
The co-parenting survival guide: the first year, week by week
The first year after separation is a long chain of small firsts. A week-by-week guide to making the handovers, messages, routines and feelings a little more manageable.
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Co-parenting life · 6 min read
When your child is angry after returning from the other home
A difficult return can leave everyone raw. A calm transition routine, room to listen and clear information between homes can make the next one feel more manageable.
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Co-parenting life · 7 min read
Why so many separated parents end up back in court, and how to avoid it
A return to court is often a sign that an arrangement stopped keeping up with family life. Here is what to write down early, before small gaps become bigger disputes.
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Co-parenting life · 8 min read
Child Focused Courts: what the new family court approach means for separated parents
The former Pathfinder model has a new name and a national rollout. A September 2026 Court of Appeal decision says the procedure has changed, but the law has not.
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Co-parenting life · 7 min read
When separated parents disagree about a child's school
A school disagreement can feel urgent. This calm England-and-Wales guide separates the practical conversation from the formal options, without pretending there is one answer for every family.
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Co-parenting life · 5 min read
The parental-involvement presumption: the Bill is now in the Lords, but the law has not changed
The Bill has completed its Commons stages and is now in the Lords. The current presumption remains law because the Bill has not received Royal Assent.
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Co-parenting life · 6 min read
Cohabitation reform: what the 2026 consultation could mean for unmarried parents
The consultation has closed and nothing has changed yet. Here is what was discussed for unmarried parents, without turning a proposal into a promise.
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Co-parenting life · 6 min read
The proposed child maintenance income-rule change: what it means for separated parents
The DWP proposed including certain unearned income in the standard CMS calculation. The official rules still describe a variation route today.
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Co-parenting life · 6 min read
Children or finances first when you separate?
You do not need to solve child arrangements and finances in a fixed order. Here is how the official guidance separates the questions, and a calm way to choose a starting point.
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Browse the practical co-parenting guides → · About the author →
Bring the calm home.
Free during early access — a hello, the odd update, and one email when it's your turn.
Almost there. Check your email and tap the link to confirm.
Free during early access · one plan covers both parents · unsubscribe anytime