What to Do When the Other Parent Badmouths You to the Children

Parents should never speak ill of the other parent, either directly to, or around their children. This practice harms your relationship with your children, and by extension, it hurts your children. You will be forced to deal with this situation because letting it fester can make things worse. If the badmouthing is extreme, a family law attorney could even file a motion to change custody. 

Do Not Try to Get Revenge

You may be tempted to turn around and badmouth the other parent to either even the score or set the record straight. This will only harm the children further. They will feel like they are caught in the middle, and it will make them feel even more conflicted. This case is clearly one time where two wrongs do not make a right.

Talk to Your Children

You can make it clear to your children that they can and should come to you if they want answers to their questions. You need to remain calm during the conversation and be transparent when you can. Make sure to remain calm and to not take your frustrations out on your children. They have been put in an impossible position themselves, and the situation is not their fault.

Speak with the Other Parent

You must let the other parent know that you are aware of what is happening. You must also tell them that they need to stop badmouthing you immediately. Even if it will be a futile conversation, you need to create a record for the court that shows that you addressed the situation, and the other parent did not stop. In this conversation, you must also remain calm and focus on the impact that the conduct has on the children. 

You should also contact an attorney about the situation. Badmouthing is the precursor to parental alienation, which can jeopardize your relationship with your children. Courts view alienation so seriously that they may even take custody from the alienating parent. If you do not already have one, you could ask the court to modify the custody agreement to include a provision forbidding the parents from disparaging each other to the children.

Seek Help from a Kendall County Family Law Attorney

Loire Krajniak Law, LLC can assist you when you find yourself in a difficult family law situation like this. It is understandably difficult to navigate this situation on your own without help from an Oswego family law attorney. You can call us at 630-448-2406 to schedule your free initial consultation. 

Source:

https://www.ourfamilywizard.com/blog/dealing-badmouthing-co-parent