If you have children with your ex, you’ll probably need to continue communicating with them until your children become adults. This unfortunately can lead to some difficult situations, especially if tensions between the two of you run high and if your ex is difficult to communicate with.
It’s important that you work on your communication with each other sooner rather than later because it could negatively affect your child if such things are not resolved. The following are some tips for moving forward in a co-parenting relationship with a toxic ex.
Spell things out
If your ex is difficult to communicate with, it’s even more important that you are a clear communicator. If you should be meeting at a certain time and place, communicate in a factual way, and try to keep things as objective as possible.
Have a rule to never fight in front of the children
While you and your ex may not be able to avoid having arguments, you should make sure that your children never have to witness these. If you know that you need to have a heated discussion, make time for it while your children are elsewhere.
Consider having a witness at pick-ups and drop-offs
If your ex is accusing you of being late to pick-ups and drop-offs or of being uncooperative, you may want to consider having a neutral third party being present at all interactions.
If you are struggling to get along with your ex when sharing custody of your children, you may want to make a child custody modification due to the circumstances.