Even though you may be divorcing, you are always going to be a family for your children.
If all goes according to plan, your future could include grandparenthood together. In the routine course of your children’s lives, there will be special moments (and probably some scary moments) that you’ll share with your parenting partner, including but not limited to: bar mitzvahs, confirmations or first communions, little league games, graduations, and perhaps the occasional wisdom tooth extraction or ER visit.
These special moments create indelible memories of childhood, and your children have a front row seat to the Mommy and Daddy Show. They hear not only what you say to each other, but watch (with eagle eyes) how you treat each other. That is why you owe your children nothing less than paying attention, at all times, not only to what you say to your parenting partner, but also how you say it, especially when your children are watching. Whether you know it or not, they are keen observers, and are constantly “taking notes.”
In this blog posting, Lauren Behrman writes that there are some words and body language that almost reek of disregard, and it would be a gift to your children if you eliminate these from your vocabulary and repertoire.