Rebuild the missing context
Assume the recipient will not remember every date, promise, or earlier conversation. For a message about how to agree on screen time with a co-parent, use this factual base: state the child's schedule, health, school, expense, or behavior and distinguish observation from interpretation.
Say what needs to happen next
State the decision, information, or practical action you need and include a real deadline only when one exists. Propose a child-focused plan, a response date, and the documented route for unresolved decisions. Make the immediate next step clear enough that the recipient can answer without reconstructing the entire history.
Avoid making urgency into pressure
Do not use the child as messenger, trade access for agreement, or criticize the other parent to the child. Follow custody orders and use safeguarding, legal, medical, or emergency support for risk to a child. Do not make the other person responsible for reducing the discomfort that prompted you to write.