“Max, wake your dad up!” I shout from the top of the stairs. “You’ve got school in 20 minutes!”
I know this call to action is futile, and in a few minutes, I’ll be the one to head downstairs, enter my ex-husband’s side of the house, and gently (or sometimes not-so-gently) remind him that he needs to drive our son to school while I embark on my workday.
Our weekly routine hasn’t changed in the year and a half since we began living together, and my ex’s dependency on an alarm clock remains constant. If we were adhering to a more conventional co-parenting setup, I might have gifted him one for Christmas to help with timely school pickups. But since my ex, my current husband, and I share our home part-time, I still find myself playing the role of his personal alarm clock on certain days.
I never envisioned sharing a home with two men and two kids, yet here I am. My ex and I amicably ended our marriage in 2015, promising to stay friends, but cohabiting wasn’t part of my original plan for co-parenting. I had hoped for shared holidays and maybe a few vacations, but the reality of shared meals, family dinners, and even sharing a stick of deodorant has redefined what “modern co-parenting” means for us.
However, the thought of my ex living with me, our son, and my current husband along with our toddler daughter didn’t seem too far-fetched when I stumbled upon a charming yellow farmhouse for rent in our desired location. I hesitated for weeks, convinced that the rent would be beyond our means.
I was right about the cost; the landlord quoted a monthly rent that was double our budget. But she also revealed that the house featured an in-law suite, complete with a separate entrance, mini-kitchen, and full bathroom.
I hung up, my mind buzzing with possibilities. While the skeptics in my head warned me against the idea, curiosity sparked a notion: What if we combined our resources to create a unique family environment?
This concept felt logical to me. After our divorce, my ex had moved into a loft in New York City, making our casual nights apart less frequent and more structured than in a typical setup.
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In summary, my unexpected arrangement of co-parenting with my ex-husband and current husband under one roof has transformed our family dynamics for the better. While it wasn’t the original plan, it has allowed us to create a supportive environment for our children, making it easier to navigate the complexities of parenting together.
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