Emotions can get out of control during divorce, to put it mildly. With all the love gone, you may run out of anything positive to say about your spouse.
However, no matter how upset, disappointed or emotionally drained you are, one of the worst mistakes you want to steer clear of both during and after your divorce is badmouthing your co-parent. Not only can this impact your custody case but also hurt your child in the long term. Specifically, here are two clear reasons why you should never badmouth your co-parent:
Badmouthing hurts your children
It is easy for children to be caught up in the crossfire during divorce litigation. Speaking ill about your co-parent, especially in the presence of the kids can put them in an awkward and detrimental position of believing that one parent is bad while the other is good. Consequently, this is likely to strain the relationship between the children and the other parent.
Badmouthing can hurt your case
Badmouthing your co-parent not only hurts your children, it can also hurt your child custody case. If the court learns that you are badmouthing your spouse during the divorce process, it will have the impression that you are likely to be a difficult co-parent. Consequently, you will have a difficult time convincing the court that you deserve primary custody or can share legal custody. And if the court barred both of you from making disparaging remarks, a violation of such an order can amount to contempt. This too has consequences.
Divorce is tough, make no mistake. However, one of the most important jobs you have as a parent is protecting your children’s best interests. Knowing more about the divorce laws in your jurisdiction can help you protect your child’s emotional well-being during and after divorce.
