Dealing With a Disrespectful Co-Parent
Sometimes the most laid-back people become short-tempered after they become parents, even after the days of nighttime feedings and difficult to install baby car seats have passed. You might ordinarily be the kind of person who never takes offense to anything, but when you ask your child to do something and your child ignores you, you lose your temper. If your children, whom you love dearly, can trigger your anger in this manner, imagine how you feel when this disrespectful behavior is coming not from your children but from your ex-spouse. The little things your ex-spouse does to undermine your parenting decisions, not to mention your ex-spouse’s urgent, last-minute demands related to the holidays, can make it really hard to be the most consistent and most emotionally present parent you can. The main ingredients in rising above all the drama are emotional resilience and the help of a Boca Raton child custody lawyer.
It Isn’t the Court’s Problem That Your Ex-Spouse Pushes Your Buttons
You set a rule that your children are not allowed to do X, and then your children do copious amounts of X during your ex-spouse’s parenting time, and your ex-spouse does little to stop them; sometimes it seems like your ex is actively encouraging your children to do things that you told them not to do. You ask your ex-spouse to take your children on a particular child-related errand or accomplish a particular task, and your ex conveniently forgets. One parent obsesses over the children’s grades, while the other insists that learning is a marathon, not a sprint, and it is the effort that counts. One parent insists that the children dress like ladies and gentlemen at all times, while the other considers sweatpants and a Pokemon T-shirt appropriate school attire.
These problems are not exclusive to divorced co-parents; married couples disagree about matters of parenting all the time. If you ask the court to order your ex-spouse not to let your children eat junk food, the judge will laugh the first time and hold you in contempt the second time. It is up to you to find a way not to let your ex-spouse’s disrespectful behavior get under your skin.
How to Build a Disrespect-Proof Co-Parenting Situation
To take your mind off of your ex’s disrespectful tone of voice or your ex’s laziness or audacity that caused him to let your children have so much screen time, focus on your parenting plan. If your ex’s actions violate the conditions of the parenting plan, go to court. If not, let it go. If every word that comes out of your ex-spouse’s mouth makes you mad, communicate by text or through a co-parenting app, such as Our Family Wizard.
Contact Schwartz | White About Surviving Co-Parenting Drama
A South Florida family law attorney can help you develop an airtight parenting plan that does not require you to argue with your ex-spouse about every little detail. Contact Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida about your case.
Source:
alisajaffeholleron.com/blog-post/disrespectful-co-parent/
