Many people struggle to align with their long-term partner when it comes to kids. These days, the question of whether both people want to have them at all is often difficult enough, and if they do, then come the challenges of making sure that parenting styles are aligned. It is often said that having children changes people, or at least brings out parts of them that others may not have seen so much before. It means that people can sometimes be surprised and even frustrated with the approach that a co-parent takes on even the smallest of issues.

One topic that can be particularly fraught is how to discipline kids. It’s not uncommon for two parents to take on good cop/bad cop roles, but sometimes this can manifest in a disagreement. This is a hurdle that is important to overcome for those who hope to parent their kids harmoniously.