Ending a marriage when there are children involved is never easy.
Finding a way to navigate life as a family where mum and dad no longer live together can be tricky, but actress Drew Barrymore recently revealed how she makes co-parenting work.
Since ending their nearly-four-year marriage in August, Barrymore and ex-husband Will Kopelman are working on making their new lives apart work for their two young daughters Olive, four, and Frankie, two.
The 41-year-old recently dished to Entertainment Tonight what she thinks is the key to successful co-parenting.
“I think plans. Constant plans. We, as a family, have three dates for this Halloween.”
And experts agree with Barrymore on the importance of continuing to do things as a family after a marriage breaks down.
Psychotherapist and relationship expert Tina B. Tessina recently told The Bump that it is important for children of divorce to still feel like they’re part of a family.
“You can be as distant and pleasant as you would be with a stranger if you have to,” Tessina said. “Your kids still need and want to belong to a family.”
Barrymore says it’s not only plans between the immediate family that are important for her personally, but also still feeling part of her ex-husband’s family.
A photo posted by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore) on
Barrymore explains the morning she woke up to an email from Kopelman’s mother Coco looking to lock down a date for a birthday party that worked for Barrymore because as her former mother-in-law put it, “It’s not the same without you.”
“Families are many different definitions in this day and age,” the newly single mum-of-two explains and says the key is to “just be a family” whatever that might mean for you.
