Our First Co-Parenting Meeting: What Really Happened

"I was more nervous than for any first date," admits Claire. "Except this time the stakes weren't romantic chemistry, they were about someone's character for the next eighteen years."

She met Vincent in a quiet café, with a list of questions prepared in advance: views on education, financial expectations, how holidays would be split, what happens if one of them moves cities. "We talked for three hours and barely touched our coffee."

They didn't decide anything that day — and that's exactly the point. "A good first meeting isn't about signing anything. It's about noticing whether the other person answers honestly, even when the honest answer is uncomfortable."

— Claire, 33, Lille