Children learn how to navigate the world through their parents.
Most of what they learn about relationships and getting along with others comes from the relationship their parents.
That’s why it’s so important for parents to have amicable relationships with each other, even if they are divorced.
Many parents are taking this into consideration these days and are trying their best to set good examples for their kids even if they are divorced.
One of those parents is Codie LaChelle McPhate’s dad.
Though he and McPhate’s mom have been divorced for 28 years, he still makes sure to help his ex-wife out with things around his house to show his kids that they are still very much a family unit.
McPhate caught her dad in the act of helping her mom out one day and decided to snap a photo of it and post it on Facebook where it went viral.
“This is my dad, mowing my mom’s lawn. They’ve been divorced 28 years. My mom has bad knees, and my stepdad works out of town. When my younger siblings questioned, ‘Why is your dad mowing mom’s lawn?’ I told them, ‘Because, she needed help, and he knew she couldn’t get out here to do it, so he did.,'” McPhate explains to Love What Matters.
McPhate realizes that all divorced couples don’t always get along so well and that she’s super lucky to have parents who still take care of each other.
“This is co-parenting. This is how lucky I am to have 4 parents who respect each other, and know that at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is showing your children (Even ones that are 32-years-old) how to treat people, and how to love your family, no matter how it came together,” McPhate explains.
Experts say that co-parenting has significant benefits on children.
According to Huffington Post, co-parenting helps children to feel loved and like their emotions truly matter.
They also have positive behavioral outcomes, high self-esteem, and confdience. Children who are co-parented are also more likely to be able to communicate openly without fear or anxiety.
Co-parented children also admire their parents and feel proud of them which McPhate obviously does.
“My dad is with me in Texas on vacation. He doesn’t even live here where my mom lives. So not only did he do something selflessly for her, he did it for her while he was on his VACATION. He wants everyone to know, ‘I’m no saint.’ He just wants to show others that you don’t need to act like an angelic pastor on Lent, but that we should all choose kindness whenever we can,” she says.
McPhate explained that her parents made a conscious effort when they separated to get along for the sake of their children.
“My dad said he didn’t do this for the recognition. He said my mom and he decided when they we going through their divorce they would both choose to be adults and treat each other with respect and compassion, because no matter how their marriage ended, they both loved each other very much at one point, and that, that love – counts for something. That if they were going to raise their children to be good, kind people, they needed to be good kind people,” McPhate says.
Though McPhate’s dad didn’t expect to get so much attention, he did.
His daughter’s post went viral with more than 19,000 shares on Facebook.
“I’m very fortunate to have such amazing parents,” McPhate said. “I know my moms and dads would do anything for each other, because we’re family. I’m very fortunate to have such amazing parents.”
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This is my dad, mowing my mom's lawn. They've been divorced 28 years. My mom has bad knees, and my step dad works…
Posted by Codie LaChelle McPhate onSunday, September 16, 2018
