As a parent, divorce holds more complexities and difficulties for you than it will for most parentless couples. On top of dealing with your own personal matters, you must also figure out what situation will suit your child best while meeting their needs.
To this end, you may want to check out parallel parenting. This option can allow you to support your child through this difficult time period while also protecting them from parental arguments.
Reduction of potential friction-causing interactions
Psychology Today looks into the situations when parallel parenting may work best. They work well for parents who do not currently believe cooperative co-parenting will work out but do not write it off as a possibility in the future.
Parallel parenting works by giving you and your co-parent time and space to recover in the aftermath of the divorce. You will communicate through writing only during this period, such as via email or written letter. This helps drastically reduce the rate at which you get into disputes or arguments. Not only does this help you mend your relationship, but it prevents your child from witnessing such outbursts and arguments, which many find traumatic.
Reevaluation of your plan
Eventually, a judge will reevaluate your plan to see if they should make any changes. They may leave the plan as-is, too, or they could decide it is time for you to graduate to a different parenting plan. The timeline at which a judge may move differs depending on your unique life circumstances, so it is difficult to predict what yours may look like. They will always give you the time you need to adjust before making changes.