Real Co-Parents: Jay Krout
Jay is a divorced dad who says TalkingParents has helped make his co-parenting communications more productive while keeping his daughter out of conflict.
- 2 min watch
- real co-parents
Jay Krout has a daughter with his ex-wife. He and his ex were briefly married before they separated.
“I was with my child’s mother for a year and a half when she became pregnant, and my life changed. At the time, I was struggling with addiction and got married to keep our child in my life. Within months, my ex left with our child, moved in with her grandparents, and filed for custody.”
Krout says their co-parenting situation did not improve once they filed for divorce and established joint custody of their daughter.
It took me a year and a half of treatment and sobriety before I could go to court to file for divorce and start the process of obtaining joint custody. I had no legal custody initially, so my ex withheld information about my child’s life and avoided my communication requests. After we got 50/50 custody, our phone calls and custody exchanges were very heated, and I was really concerned about what my child was overhearing.
Krout’s lawyer initially suggested TalkingParents for his situation, and the app was ultimately added as a requirement in their parenting plan.
“Our judge required that we respond to each other through the TalkingParents app within 48 hours. It was great to have timely responses after my ex had ignored my emails and texts, and our communications improved significantly.” Krout says the Secure Messaging feature is invaluable to him.
I like that I can review what I’ve sent to my daughter’s mom and what she sends back. The ability to pause and think before I send messages helps reduce my angry or reactive replies. Nothing can be erased or edited, which is important to me, and each message shows when it’s been read. The transcripts have been helpful in court during custody arrangements, too.
Krout especially appreciates that the app has helped keep his daughter out of co-parenting conflicts. “I’m grateful for the tools because they reduce conflict and increase accountability. The app streamlines our communication about scheduling and logistics, which keeps our child from being used as a messenger between homes. We have a much clearer and calmer process for changes with our pick-ups and drop-offs.” The service’s parenting resources have also been a valuable part of Krout’s journey.
“The articles are beneficial to me, especially the ones that cover high conflict and toxic co-parenting. I relate to the information in those and other pieces, and I even share them with my friends who may be going through similar situations.”
As someone who isn’t very tech-savvy, Krout finds the app to be very user-friendly.
“I’m not a tech person at all, but this app has made me more comfortable because it’s super easy to use and navigate. It reduces my stress levels when co-parenting can already be a stressful experience.”
Krout credits TalkingParents as one of the reasons why his current co-parenting and blended family dynamics are smooth and child-focused.
“TalkingParents supports the focus on my child’s well-being instead of the conflict that’s going on. Today, I’m remarried with a supportive spouse, and our family is more stable, consistent, and child-centered. It takes grit to do what I’m doing, both with my sobriety and my life with my daughter. Through it all, TalkingParents has helped me to keep my grit and not quit.” Ready to experience better co-parenting with TalkingParents? Get started.