It could be hard to care for your kids after you've just split up with your spouse. It’s even harder if your wife or husband doesn’t seem to share your ideas about responsible parenting.
Despite the help of your family attorney in Colorado Springs, you can’t bring every problem to their attention because not every glitch in your divorce is for your lawyer to handle. So, how do you parent your children when your ex-spouse isn’t doing their job?
Set boundaries
Does your former spouse have a habit of letting your kids off the hook as a way to get their favor? Well, this doesn’t mean you should do the same as if you have a battle of who's the "cooler" parent. You should stick to your guns and set boundaries for your children.
Despite what you might think, children need consistency and more importantly, they want a responsible parent. It may be fun for them to break the rules every now and then, but eventually, they want an adult who’s willing to guide them in the right path.
Speak no ill about your former spouse
Try not to focus on the negative aspects of your former spouse because it might lead you to do or say something you might regret. For example, when you notice that your ex-wife or husband is too lenient with your children, you might feel the urge to say bad things about them
If you do this, you’re not only saying negative things about your former spouse. In a way, you’re also saying bad things about your kids because that's their mother or father you're talking about. They could also end up resenting you for speaking ill of their parent.
Double your efforts
Since your former spouse isn't doing their part in proper child-rearing, it falls down to you to double your efforts. That doesn’t mean you should increase your stringent ways with your children nor that you should give up on disciplining them.
It only means that you should reinforce more the value of learning what's right and what's wrong. Even if your co-parent isn't up to the task, you should still teach your children good values.
Talk to your former spouse
Of course, if the problem in this situation is your former spouse, then the best thing to do is to go straight to the problem and fix it. That’s easier said than done, though. If you do try to talk to your ex-spouse, chances are it will only lead to a shouting match.
But, when the shouting has died down, try to remind your ex-wife or husband that getting a divorce didn't rob them of being a parent to your kids. It only means that you both take turns taking care of your children.
So, remind them that they still have a part to play in the life of your kids. They should respect the fact that they are still a parent to your children and therefore, learn to do their part in co-parenting responsibly.