Co-parenting is incredibly difficult. Raising children is hard enough when you're in a loving, committed relationship with the other parent, let alone when you're on your own.
You want to continue to have a positive involvement in your children's lives despite your relationship breaking down. The co-parenting journey is one littered with challenges, even if you have a very healthy co-parenting relationship and remain very good friends.
Sometimes, we look to quotes to inspire us to be a truly great parent, or to lift us in times of great challenge.
Here are 75 of the most inspirational co-parenting quotes.
Table Of Contents
The best inspirational quotes for co-parents
If you're in need of uplifting, struggling with the behaviour of your co-parent or with your own ability as a dad, these inspiring co-parenting quotes will be sure to help you out. They might not even be quotes about co-parenting, but they'll certainly inspire you to be a better co-parent.
1. “Co-parenting. It's not a competition between two homes. It's a collaboration of parents doing what is best for the kids.”
- Heather Hetchler
2. “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
- Frederick Douglass
3. Your children need your presence more than your presents.”
– Jesse Jackson
4. “Effective communication in co-parenting is the key that unlocks understanding and cooperation.”
- Unknown
5. "Divorce marks the end of a marriage, not the family’s connection.”
- Unknown
6. “Investing effort in good co-parenting is an investment in your child’s future.”
- Unknown
7. “This is probably one of the most difficult challenges any parent could face, learning to love the other parent enough to make the children first.”
- Iyanla Vanzant
8. “Don’t just co-parent; foster love and nurture together.”
- Unknown
9. “There will always be steps you can take toward unity in your blended family. You will make—one step at a time!”
– Donna Houpe
10. "Parents are the ultimate role models for children. Every word, every movement, and action affects. No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than a parent.”
– Bob Keeshan
11. “Our co-parenting journey resembles a book composed of distinct chapters, yet the overarching narrative always revolves around our children.”
- Unknown
12. “Kids need parents, not a part-time visitor with a chequebook.”
- Unknown
13. “Co-parenting is finding that happy balance can take months if not years to find, and sometimes for some families, they never agree on anything. The main focus should be on children, their wellbeing, and happiness.”
- Unknown
14. “How do you co-parent successfully after a difficult break-up? By loving your child more than you hate your ex. Support co-parenting. Your child will thank you for it.”
- Unknown
15. “Children are not possessions. You don’t ‘allow’ the father/mother extra time. When you say things like that, you imply that you think of your children as things, not humans.”
- Unknown
16. “Co-parenting is the skill of managing our differences and crafting a well-balanced life for our children.”
- Unknown
17. “Our co-parenting journey stands as proof that love can transcend all boundaries, even those that separate us physically.”
- Unknown
18. “Life may have directed us along separate paths, but we made the conscious choice to walk them together for the sake of our precious creations.”
- Unknown
19. “Allow your children to be children. Don’t force them to choose between mummy and daddy.”
- Unknown
20. “Co-parenting is our way of conveying to our children, ‘Though we may not be together, we are forever here for you.'”
- Unknown
21. “Some days co-parenting is hard and some days it is easy but on any day, it is not worth giving up.”
- Unknown
22. “Our children are the best gift that I have ever received from you and let’s co-parent them with love, care and honour.”
- Unknown
23. “Raising resilient children necessitates the strength of both parents.”
- Unknown
24. “Don’t let your distinctions overshadow the shared love you have for your children.”
- Unknown
25. “Every day presents an opportunity to excel as a co-parent and provide the best for your child.”
- Unknown
26. “Don’t just co-parent; foster love and nurture together.”
- Unknown
27. “We couldn’t create a happy future for us, but at least let us create a happy and a healthy future for our child.”
- Unknown
28. “Co-parenting isn’t solely about custody; it’s about jointly pursuing our children’s dreams.”
- Unknown
29. “In co-parenting, we both have the power to shape our children’s life stories.”
- Unknown
30. “Co-parenting can be difficult, but if the two parents continue to communicate openly and honestly, that builds trust, which makes co-parenting easier for everyone.”
- Unknown
20 quotes to help you co-parent with respect
Breaking up is never easy, but when you don't have children is can be a little easier. You can go your separate ways and perhaps never see or speak to each other again. It's not as simple as that when you have children together. You are forever bound to one another no matter the manner in which you separated.
Some co-parents are able to focus on remaining friends for their sake of their children's lives, while others have strained relationships fraught with anger, bitterness and resentment. Whatever your situations, these inspiring co-parenting quotes will help focus your mind on the respect you pay your co-parent in order to build a positive co-parenting relationship.
31. There is no such thing as a ‘broken family.’ Family is family, and is not determined by marriage certificates, divorce papers, or adoption documents.”
– C JoyBell
32. “If you love your child more than you hate your ex, you can solve most co-parenting.”
– Helen Fried
33. “Today, our relationship might be different but our goals for our children are still the same.”
- Unknown
34. “Co-parenting involves discussing with each other, not seeking permission, to ensure a consistent upbringing for your child.”
- Unknown
35. “When parents stand united in their approach, it prevents confusion and benefits their children.”
- Unknown
36. “Co-parenting is about discovering common ground rather than taking opposing positions.”
- Unknown
37. “Co-parenting is a collaborative effort fuelled by love.”
- Unknown
38. “The best security blanket a child can have is parents who respect each other.”
- Jane Blaustone
39. “The greatest thing a father can do for his children is to respect the woman that gave birth to his child. It is because of her that you have the greatest treasures in your life. You may have moved on, but your children have not. If you can’t be her soulmate, then at least be thoughtful. Whom your children love should always be someone that you acknowledge with kindness. Your children notice everything and will follow your example.”
– Shannon L. Alder
40. “Co-parents need to suck it up and become a collaborative team for the sake of the child.”
– Sherrill Ellsworth
41. “Children deserve both parents. They deserve to know that their parents respect each other if nothing else. So that really helps me set the standard of how I try and behave.”
– Jewel Kilcher
42. “Marriage binds us for a little while, but our children keep us together as a family for life.”
- Unknown
43. “Let’s keep the differences aside and come together so that we can create a happy and a stable life for our child.”
- Unknown
44. “Being a co-parent with your ex would just show the world that we were mature enough to understand that we were not meant to be together."
- Unknown
45. “Parenting is not a competition. Rather, it is a combination of teamwork, respect and honour.”
- Unknown
46. “I have had to learn to love you differently because I could never hate a person who my children are made up of.”
- Unknown
47. “There were times where we never thought we could see eye to eye, so I’m proud of how we have landed in a place of positive co-parenting.”
- Unknown
48. “Our love for our children serves as the anchor in co-parenting, grounding us in our shared purpose.”
- Unknown
49. “Though the chapters of co-parenting may seem distinct, they are bound together by the narrative of our children.”
- Unknown
50. “Co-parenting is the bridge we construct with love, enabling our children to move freely between us.”
- Unknown
25 celebrity co-parents quotes
For years, the celebrity scene has been full of high-profile break ups. And so it's a great source of inspiring co-parenting quotes. Here are some of the best co-parenting quotes from Hollywood culture and other celebrities.
51. “...at the end of the day, we’ve got a great kid who’s got two parents who love him very much. And we’re finding a way to navigate this while still remaining friends and still being kind to one another.”
- Chris Pratt
52. "Your child comes first. That’s all. It’s all about that. He comes first and you have to get past your own egos and you never talk bad about each other.”
– Idina Menzel
53. “I find co-parenting really easy. Scott and I communicate all the time. You have to keep discussing what’s going on because as the children grow older, the rules need to be renegotiated.”
- Kourtney Kardashian
54. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to be a little selfless. You have to say, ‘It’s not about us. This didn’t work out quite how we wanted it to, but look at the amazing blessing that we have in these wonderful children.’ So you kinda put everything else to the side and really focus.”
- Nick Cannon
55. “We decided as a family it was the right decision for Flynn, so Orlando and I both relocated, and we live five minutes from each other… Everything revolves around my son and his welfare.”
- Miranda Kerr
56. “Effective parenting has nothing to do with pointing out our faults and everything to do with working out solutions.”
- R. Knost
57. I’m very fortunate because we’re committed to co-parenting our children together.” - Elle Macpherson
58. “We both realise that we’re parents and we’re in it for our kid, and that’s made it really easy.”
- Pete Wentz
59. “I’m really fortunate because my ex and I are very good friends and I talk to him every day. Our daughter is growing up, seeing two people who care about each other. We may not be a traditional family on paper, but we are a family, and I tell her that families come in all shapes and sizes, but [a family is] love, and I see her really flourishing because she sees two people treating each other with respect.”
- Angela Kinsey
60. “The sign of a great parent is not the behaviour of the children, the sign of a truly great parent is the parent’s behaviour.”
- Andy Smithson
61. “Make a positive difference in your children’s lives. Act and speak about your co-parent with respect and integrity.”
- Allison Pescosolido
62. “I have pictures up of me and Wiz in [our son’s] room so he can always come in and see us being happy together. We try to have family days with him, even though we’re not together. Kids want to see their parents together, and if you can’t be together in a relationship, you’ve got to come together as friends for your baby.”
– Amber Rose
63. “There is no such thing as the perfect parent so just be the real one.”
- Sue Atkins
64. “The secret to blending families is… There is no secret. It’s scary and awesome and ragged and perfect and always changing. Love and laugh hard, try again tomorrow, but that’s life advice, right?”
- Mir Kamin
65. “We are both totally committed to raising our son and being in love with our son… It’s a concept that’s fairly new, particularly in the psychology of raising a child in a divorce. And the idea is, it’s really not the child’s fault that you got divorced. It’s your fault, and therefore, it should not be the child’s problem to go back and forth between two different homes.”
- Josh Lucas
66. “The best, most mature co-parents will tell their therapist — and not their child — how much the other parent sucks.”
- Hayley Gallagher
67. “You have to get to that point as a divorced parent, as any parent, where you’re not putting yourself first. You want the kids’ experience to be its own and not like, ‘Well, I need to have my time!’ We have been very good about that.”
– Ryan Phillippe
68. “Children do not care about child support, who was married to whom, or why you don’t like each other. They are children; they care that their parents show up. That when there is a Christmas recital, and they peek through the curtains, all of the people they love are there, without fighting for the best interest of the child.”
– Jessica James
69. “We do bedtime every day. We felt like as much togetherness as possible would be ideal, and fortunately, we really love each other and are best friends, and so that works.”
– Sienna Miller
70. “Our children are our universe, and we look forward to living the rest of our lives with them as the first priority.”
– Drew Barrymore
71. “To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.”
- Barbara Johnson
72. “To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”
- Oscar Wilde
73. “Children learn more from what you are than what you teach.”
- W.E.B. DuBois
74. "If Matt and I had a great relationship, we would still be together, but we chose to move on because we had different visions of how we wanted to live our lives. That doesn't mean, though, that we can't rebuild something that would be the best thing for the kids."
- Kate Hudson
75. "We're doing our very best and we're putting our kids first and that's how we're focusing on our day-to-day lives and we don't know what the future's going to hold, but each step that we take is one where we prioritize our children and everything else comes second."
- Jennifer Garner
FAQs
What are the best co parenting quotes?
This is a subjective question with no right or wrong answer. What makes a great co-parenting quote to one person, or one set of co-parents may be totally useless to another couple of co-parents (and even to your co-parent partner).
What is the most famous co-parenting quote?
As you can see from this list, there are plenty of co-parenting quotes out there. However, we would argue that one is used far more than any other. It comes from author and family experts, Heather Hetchler, who said: “Co-parenting. It's not a competition between two homes. It's a collaboration of parents doing what is best for the kids."
What is co-parenting?
Traditionally, co-parenting refers to when separated or divorced parents share custody of their child. However, in recent years, cooperative co-parenting has become the standard definition of co-parenting. It means that both parents work together to take an active role in bringing up their child(ren).
Why is co-parenting hard?
It's always hard to raise children - but especially so when two parents no longer love each other romantically. You still have the every day struggles and challenges of parenting without the close support of the other parent.
