Unfortunately, the divorce process doesn’t always go smoothly. You and your ex may not end up on good terms.
If you share custody of your child — and even if you don’t — what you may find is that your ex tries to influence the child, turning him or her against you. This could stem from your ex’s own feelings about you, even though they have nothing to do with your relationship with the child, or it could just be done to hurt you. Below are five things that parents sometimes do.
- Your ex speaks poorly of you to the child, complaining and insulting you. Children are very easy to influence and may never assume that your ex would lie.
- Your ex breaks up the communication between the child and your. This could be done, for instance, by cutting off phone calls or intercepting letters.
- Your ex limits face-to-face contact. This could even be done in violation of the child custody order, which is when you absolutely need to know your legal rights. Violating this order is illegal.
- Your ex lies about your love for the child, telling him or her that you don’t love them.
- Your ex punishes your child if he or she ever says anything good about you or expresses a positive opinion. This is likely to be an emotional punishment designed to tie negative feelings to your relationship with the child.
This can be heartbreaking when it happens. Absolutely make sure you know your legal rights under the custody agreement.
Source: First Wives World, “5 Signs Your Ex is Turning Your Child Against You,” Amy J. L. Baker, accessed July 21, 2017
