While many divorces do not end amicably, when a child is involved in the case the parents must do their best to remain civil in front of the child. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and it can be a difficult situation to manage when one parent discovers that the other is bad mouthing them to their child. At the Law Offices of David L. Hirschberg, our Boca Raton divorce attorneys can review your legal options in this situation and figure out the best legal path for you. To learn more, call or contact our office today to schedule a consultation of your case.
Why is This Happening?
There are many reasons why one parent may speak poorly of the other in front of their child. In some cases, the parent engaging in this behavior may not even realize that they are doing it. Some parents lack the emotional maturity to keep their feelings to themselves, especially in particularly high conflict cases. Others do not understand the impact that bad mouthing the other parent can have on a child emotionally and psychologically, and in the most serious cases a parent may do this intentionally.
Some parents intentionally bad mouth the other parent in front of their child in an attempt to alienate or destroy that parent-child relationship. They could be trying to manipulate a custody battle or decimate that relationship for their own selfish reasons. Whatever the reason, it is important to know that you have legal options.
What are Your Legal Options?
There are many options available to a parent when they discover that the other parent is speaking poorly of them to their child. One of the first steps recommended is to have a conversation with the other parent about their actions. In many cases, this is all that needs to be done to fix the situation as many parents do not realize until that moment that they are engaging in that behavior or understand the impact it is having on their child.
One way to avoid this issue from the onset is to incorporate a clause into the parenting plan that prohibits this type of talk in front of the child. This ban on bad mouthing can also extend to social media or to anyone that may pass those sentiments along to the child. Discussing how parents communicate in a parenting plan can also have other benefits when it comes to co-parenting a child after the divorce is finalized.
However, if you believe that your co-parent is doing this intentionally or cannot stop bad mouthing you to your child, you can submit a petition to the court to modify your timesharing arrangement/parenting plan. The situation must be so significant that it rises to the level of a substantial change in circumstances for the child and the family. The parent being spoken poorly of must be able to prove that it would be in the best interests of the child to modify custody based on the other parent’s behavior.
Talk to Our Office
If you wish to learn more, call or contact the Law Offices of David L. Hirschberg in Boca Raton today to schedule a case consultation.