What To Do When A Co-Parent Is Bad Mouthing You

Not all divorces end amicably, and a contentious divorce can be even more stressful when children are involved. It is important that you never speak poorly about the other parent in front of your child, but it is never guaranteed that the other parent will do the same. What should you do if you discover that your child’s other parent is bad mouthing you in front of them? At Blair H. Chan, III our Tampa divorce attorneys can help you review your legal options. To learn more, call or contact our office today to schedule a consultation.

Why Does this Happen? 

There are a couple of reasons why one parent may be bad mouthing the other in front of their child. Oftentimes, there are acrimonious feelings between a couple during a divorce, and one parent may simply lack the emotional maturity or tact to keep themselves from expressing these feelings in front of the child. Some parents simply do not understand the emotional and psychological toll that bad mouthing the other parent can have on a child, while others bad mouth a parent to their child intentionally.

In some cases, one parent may attempt to alienate the child from the other parent by bad mouthing them and engaging in other harmful behaviors. The bad mouthing parent may be attempting to undermine the child’s relationship with the other parent or get their way in a custody battle by making harmful statements about the other parent to the child. While the parent being bad mouthed may feel like they have no options, that is simply not the case. 

What are My Options? 

If one parent discovers that the other parent is saying bad things about them in front of their child, they have options to resolve the situation. The first step is to try and have a conversation with the other parent about their behavior. In many cases this resolves the situation, as many parents do not even realize that they are engaging in this behavior or realize the impact that it is having on the child.

Another option to minimize or eliminate bad mouthing in front of a child is to incorporate a ban on such behavior in a parenting plan. Not only can a parenting plan ban bad mouthing in front of a child, it can also address how to diffuse situations where parents may disagree away from the child and search for other middle ground that may lessen tensions between the parents.

The final option is to seek a modification of the child custody agreement with the court. This option is typically utilized if one parent believes that the other is engaging in this behavior to try and alienate the child. This option requires a court hearing and evidence which proves that the behavior is so egregious it constitutes a substantial change in circumstances and is in the best interest of the child to modify their living situation. 

Call or Contact Our Office Today 

To learn more about your legal options, call or contact the law office of Blair H. Chan, III to schedule a consultation of your case now.