Viral Soccer Game Photo Shows Co-Parenting At Its Best
These co-parents take teamwork to the next level
One family is proving that ending your relationship doesn’t have to divide the family completely. Emilee Player posted a sweet photo on Facebook taken at her four-year-old step-daughter’s soccer game. The photo showcases all of the adults there to cheer Maelyn on wearing matching shirts: her mom, dad, stepmom and stepdad, together as one united front.
The photo has been up for less than a week and already it has received over 32,ooo reactions and has been shared over 83,000 times. People are loving how this family prioritizes being there for Maelyn (the matching shirts are a fun bonus).
All four adults, Emilee (Maelyn’s stepmother), Ricky Player (Maelyn’s dad), Clara Cazeau (Maelyn’s mom) and Alex Cazeau (Maelyn’s stepdad) do their best to make it to Maelyn’s games together whenever they can. Clara Cazeau came up with the idea to have shirts made after the third game of the season, so they could all show their support for Maelyn.
“Alex, the stepdad, is in the Army and stationed in Fort Bragg, but every time he is home all four of us attend,” Emilee Player told The Huffington Post. “On a regular day it is the three of us, and we make it a point to sit together and cheer her on as a family.”
The two families combine as one for other events besides soccer. “We do all birthdays together for Maelyn,” said Clara Cazeau. “We also go to each other’s birthday dinners with their own families, we do holidays together, we go to one another’s houses, we are literally always doing things together.” The Players have a baby girl named Everlee, and say the Cazeaus are there for her just as they are for Maelyn, even checking in on the new mom at the hospital when the baby was born.
40-50% of first marriages end in divorce. Not all couples who have children together get married in the first place, and sometimes those relationships end as well. Co-parenting is a situation many parents find themselves in. But while you might not love your ex anymore, that doesn’t mean you still can’t both be there for your kids. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. “Let go of any past feelings you may have and make it work for the sake of the child,” Cazeau advises. “Stay strong. It is work every single day to keep this going.”
Player says it helps to remember that your kids are always watching. “Always respect the people involved because how you treat the other parents is a reflection of who you are,” she said.
No matter how the soccer season goes, this family is obviously winning.
