This family is showing how to do co-parenting right.
When Gabrielle Briones was planning her baby shower, one of her ideas was to have everyone who would play an important role in her unborn baby’s life record a video message for him or her. That included “auntie” Ismayra—Briones’ boyfriend’s ex-wife.
Ismayra delivered a heartfelt message to the baby that Briones posted on social media. It went viral for how this blended family clearly shares nothing but love and respect for one another.
“This is what happens when you get GROWN folks together,” Briones wrote in the caption.
“Well hello there. Whether you’re a boy or a girl, I’m Sean’s mom, so I’ll be like your other auntie to you. Welcome to the village,” Ismayra said in the video, referring to the 20-year-old son she shares with Briones’ boyfriend, Michael. “Welcome to the family. We love you already.”
Briones’ baby girl was born last winter, and since then, she says Ismayra has become the “auntie” she said she’d be.
“She’ll call me and she’ll be like, ‘Oh, do you want to go have lunch? Bring the baby,’” Briones told People magazine.
Before meeting Michael in February of 2023, Briones said they both had bad experiences trying to blend families with their exes. She explained that Michael’s second wife didn’t get along with Ismayra, which made things difficult for the whole family—but especially for their son, Sean.
“I’ve heard several stories of Sean having to go through stuff because they didn’t get along. He always had to have two birthdays. It was bad,” she said. “When I came into the picture, my boyfriend—immediately [on] our third date—was like, ‘I want you to meet my family.’”
Successful co-parenting can have many benefits for both parents and children, including:
- Improved communication
Open communication between parents is a key aspect of successful co-parenting. Parents can share concerns, upcoming events, and general updates about the children’s lives. They can also document joint decisions, which can help avoid conflict. - Reduced stress
Co-parenting can help parents balance the responsibilities of parenthood by having someone else to rely on and make decisions with. It can also reduce children’s stress and anxiety levels. - Increased equality
Parents with high relationship equality are more likely to work together as a team, which can create a healthier environment for children. - Improved self-esteem
Children who feel secure and have loving relationships with both parents tend to have higher self-esteem. - Sense of consistency
When parents agree to work together, children can feel a sense of consistency in their lives. This can help them adjust to a new situation. - Reduced conflict
Effective co-parenting can help reduce conflicts between parents that negatively impact their children.
While she was nervous about it, Briones found the family to be welcoming and kind.
“[Ismayra] cooked us dinner, and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so happy Michael’s found somebody that he really likes. I hope you guys have a really good relationship,’” she said. “She was super supportive from the get-go.”
Briones added, “This is the most beautiful breath of fresh air that I could have ever asked for. I really do feel blessed for the whole thing.”
