During and after divorce/separation, parents find that they fit into one of three types of parenting arrangements: relatively friendly co-parenting, conflicted yet fairly respectful co-parenting, and parallel parenting. These arrangements can shift as parents recover from the restructuring of their family, grieve the separation and move on into their new lives, let go of old feelings left from the relationship and learn to deal with one another in new ways.

In most cases, over time, parents are able to cooperate much more effectively as they accomplish the above tasks. Some parents, however, remain firmly connected by the fight between them, and their children continue to suffer even well into adulthood. If separated parents have restraining orders, engage in high-drama behaviors with regard to one another, or are honestly afraid of one another, they should consider parallel parenting.