Even minor co-parenting disagreements can become monumental problems when one partner is determined to make the relationship as contentious as possible. An experienced attorney can help individuals prevent, navigate, and address retaliatory behaviors while co-parenting in Florida.
What Is Co-Parenting?
Co-parenting relationships exist when parents have overlapping responsibilities for parenting children. The term is typically used to describe a joint-parenting relationship between two parents who are no longer involved in a relationship with one another. The quality of a co-parenting relationship is generally based on the extent to which parents support or fail to support each other’s efforts. Some critical aspects of a supportive co-parenting relationship include the following:
- Mutual investment in the child’s growth and success;
- Valuing the other parent’s importance in the growth and development of the child;
- Respecting the other parent’s judgments; and
- Ongoing respectful communication regarding the child’s needs.
Maintaining these relationships after a divorce or romantic relationship can be challenging. However, it is also essential to a child’s emotional wellbeing. Effective co-parenting requires individuals to set aside their differences. However, strains on the parent relationship often negatively affect co-parenting goals. Some studies indicate that less than half of divorced parents can co-parent effectively because of the volatile and emotionally complex nature of divorces.
What Does Co-Parenting Mean and Why Is It Important?
Studies indicate that co-parenting is linked to child outcomes. For example, studies have revealed the impact of supportive and undermining co-parenting relationships when a child is as young as three years old. While scientific studies are helpful, there are some common sense specific reasons that parents should focus on positive co-parenting:
- Offers children emotional stability,
- Increases positive relationships with both parents,
- Improves quality of the child’s support systems,
- Encourages positive sibling relationships, and
- Provides children with communication and relationship-building skills.
However, most importantly, studies indicate that co-parenting is a crucial determinant of mental health in young children. Children are taught from a young age how to get along with others, even those they disagree with. Thus, by enabling a toxic co-parenting relationship, parents send mixed signals to a child on how to resolve conflict.
Examples of Retaliatory Behavior While Co-Parenting
Cooperative co-parenting is extremely important for child development and preserves the involvement of both parents in child-rearing. However, it is understandable that individuals often have difficulty moving past their relationship dynamics when forging a co-parenting relationship after divorce. While some ups and downs are expected, retaliatory behaviors are detrimental and potentially unlawful. Some examples of retaliatory co-parenting include the following:
- Refusing court-ordered visitation,
- Continually missing court-ordered visitation,
- Interrupting parenting time,
- Breaching parental agreements regarding child-rearing decisions,
- Badmouthing the other parent in front of the children,
- Involving the children in the divorce issues,
- Putting the children in the middle of parental conflict, and
- Parental kidnapping.
While a person may turn vindictive for many reasons, many of these behaviors stem from trying to maintain control or “get back” at another parent. Parents dealing with a particularly volatile, unsupportive, or vindictive co-parent should consult a highly experienced legal team to determine their rights and remedies.
Steps to Take When Co-Parent Breaks Agreement
A parent can take some initial steps to avoid or mitigate a co-parent’s retaliatory or destructive conduct. These steps include:
- Preempting retaliatory behavior by working with an attorney to include rules in a parenting plan;
- Acknowledging and accepting that there is a reason the marriage or relationship did not work out and that those reasons may include the co-parent’s parenting or relationship skills (or lack thereof); and
- Practicing parallel parenting by taking a personalized and individual approach to raising one’s child that may be very different from the other parent’s household.
However, in some cases, additional legal steps may be necessary to avoid serious harm to the health, safety, and well-being of a person’s child.
In addition, parents can protect their rights and establish their allegations in court by doing the following:
- Keep correspondence clear, professional, and to a minimum,
- Communicate in writing, and
- Work with an attorney.
In these cases, parents should work with their family lawyer to do the following:
- Document violations,
- Address the issues with the other parent’s attorney, or
- File a Motion for Enforcement or Contempt.
These steps can prevent additional harm and mitigate the impact of the co-parent’s retaliatory conduct.
Consequences for Retaliatory Co-Parenting Behavior
The consequences and punishment for retaliatory co-parenting behavior largely depend on the unique facts and circumstances of the conduct. However, parents who violate the terms of a child support, custody, or parenting plan agreement may have to appear in court. Further, depending on the severity of the conduct, the violating parent may face criminal contempt charges or jail time, although this is not common. In most cases, the judge understands the importance of promoting positive parenting relationships and will work to address and eliminate the negative behavior.
Are You Dealing With a Difficult Parent While Co-Parenting in Florida?
If you are currently co-parenting with your child’s other parent and have run into difficulties related to your former partner’s unproductive, vindictive, or harmful behavior, it’s important you understand your legal options. At Beller Law, P.L., our highly experienced legal team has decades of hands-on experience helping parents address custodial relationships to keep themselves and their children safe and thriving.
We recognize that you may have tried everything to find a solution on your own and may be understandably frustrated. However, we can present you with legal and practical options that can improve your situation and help you achieve your ultimate goal of creating a safe and loving environment for your children.
To learn more, schedule a no-obligation consultation with a highly experienced legal team today. You can also connect with us through our secure online contact form.