Sharing custody can be difficult at best especially if the divorce was contested and there is a lot of bad blood between you and your ex. An uncooperative ex can make co-parenting difficult for pretty much everyone.
When your ex is actively trying to damage your relationship with your child, you need to take steps to address the situation. This is known as parental alienation and it can have both short- as well as long-term effects on your child. However, to stand up against parental alienation, you must first know the signs to look for.
Here are two questions that can help you determine whether your ex is alienating you from your child.
Does the child seem to know more than they should?
If minor children seem to know sensitive aspects of your divorce, then this could be a sign that your ex has been talking to them. For instance, if the child is blaming you for the breakdown of the marriage, or is raising sensitive issues like finances, infidelity or abuse, you need to make your ex aware that discussing these subjects with the child is extremely inappropriate.
If the behavior continues, then you need to bring the matter to the attention of the court.
Is your child spying on you?
Sometimes, your ex might resort to using the child to spy against you. For instance, if your ex seems to know too many personal details about your life like your new relationship or a new purchase, then there is a pretty good chance that they could be using the child to obtain this information. That’s extremely inappropriate and highly damaging to your relationship.
If your ex is attempting to hurt your relationship with your child, then you need to act swiftly to safeguard your child’s best interests as well as your parental rights.