Virginia residents who have to co-parent with a difficult ex-spouse face significant challenges. A toxic ex-spouse may cause unnecessary problems via accusations, drama, bad-mouthing, and manipulation. It can be frustrating for the non-toxic ex-spouse because their primary desire is to parent their children in an acceptable way.
Good parents understand that the key to successfully co-parenting children is to keep the best interests of the children in mind. At the same time, a good parent understands the importance of maintaining their own personal integrity and sanity. Keeping these concepts at the core of all decisions can help someone navigate the choppy waters of co-parenting with a toxic ex-spouse.
It’s important to remember that there are certain things that are outside of one’s control in a co-parenting situation. If the courts have decided that both parents have child custody and visitation rights, then the chances are that there are going to be decisions that an ex-spouse makes that are different than what one would make if they were raising a child on their own.
Good parents understand that they need to control their own lives and their responsibilities. They need to understand that there’s nothing that can be done to change the mentality of a co-parent who does not want to make changes for themselves. Co-parenting with a toxic individual means that from time to time they are going to be able to push buttons. Positive co-parenting means maintaining a steady temperament and composure regardless of how challenging the situation becomes.
A family law attorney may be able to help their client argue to the court that it is in the best interests of the children for them to have sole custody. The lawyer might be able to create child custody and visitation agreements and provide insight into other issues connected to child rearing after a divorce.
