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Co-Parenting with Purpose
Description
This week we're discussing Co-Parenting with Purpose
Co-parenting can bring out some of the hardest moments in this whole solo parent journey. You are trying to raise kids alongside someone you may still be hurt by, and the stakes feel enormous because they are. In this conversation, Robert Beeson, Founder and CEO of Solo Parent, and Elizabeth Cole, single parent, sit down with Traci Koster, a family law attorney, Florida state legislator, single mom, and co-founder of Tampa Bay Pro Bono Partners, to talk honestly about what collaborative co-parenting actually looks like in real life, not just in theory.
Traci has lived this from both sides of the table. She knows the research, she knows the law, and she knows what it costs personally to keep showing up with intention when it would be easier not to. This conversation is full of practical wisdom and the kind of honest, imperfect storytelling that makes you feel less alone.
A lot of solo parents want to co-parent well but are not sure how to get there, especially when the other person is not always meeting them halfway. These three areas are where the real work lives.
Today, we cover three main points:
- Keeping kids out of the conflict takes more than staying quiet. It means actively building the other parent up, using a consistent mantra when kids try to play messenger, and being honest with yourself when your own insecurities are driving the reaction.
- Avoiding negative talk is only half the work. Children's identities are shaped by both parents, and when you speak poorly about your co-parent, your kids absorb that as something said about themselves.
- Stability comes from intention, not perfection. Whether it is the language you use around both homes, the way you handle belongings, or the moments when you show up somewhere uncomfortable for your kids' sake, small consistent choices create the sense of belonging your children need.
Nobody gets this right every time. Traci does not claim to. But returning to the same intention, of keeping your kids at the center, is what makes the difference over time. That is something every solo parent can build toward.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
- Traci Koster, family law attorney and Florida state legislator
- Tampa Bay Pro Bono Partners (co-founded by Traci Koster)
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