After divorce, you and your ex-spouse thought it was best to split your parental duties to care for your child. You both agreed to stay active with your child’s school, hobbies and activities. You thought this was best for your child. Now, you’re finding your co-parent is slacking on their role, causing your child to struggle in their home life.
Discussing how to raise a child while co-parenting may seem easy at first, but not every parent is up for the job. Your co-parent may have made promises to be there for your child, but they may fail on their word. Here’s what you should expect from an uncooperative co-parent:
Failure to communicate
One of the most common and immediate signs that there will be difficulty co-parenting is when the co-parent doesn’t communicate with you. This may have been an issue in your marriage that continues after divorce.
What your ex-spouse expects from you as a co-parent may not be communicated. They may think you should take on more duties over your child than what was previously established. They may even expect you to take your child to events or keep to a specific bedtime without talking to you first. Or, if they’re passive-aggressive, they may agree with you on “house rules” for the kids when you talk together and then do something different.
The co-parent bad-mouths you
It can be upsetting to find your child was told something about you that isn’t true. Your child may suddenly believe that you were the cause of your divorce or that you were punishing your child for being born. Your child may have heard these rumors because of something your co-parent said to or around them.
Talking with your ex-spouse first may help clear any issues and help you get your parenting plan on track.. If your co-parent is making it difficult to care for your child then you may need to know your options and regain autonomy with your child.