Showing Positive Parenting
When parents of minor children divorce, it can be several years before their involvement with the court will end. Ideally, both parties will abide by their thoughtfully created parenting agreement and make changes which support their children’s well-being. However, as time passes and circumstances change, it is not uncommon for parents to disagree about what is in the best interest of their kids. A parent may also claim the other does not have good parenting abilities and seek to make legal changes to the parenting plan. In this situation, the other parent may have to provide evidence of their positive parenting skills.
Start with the Accusations
When the other parent attacks your ability to care for your children, it can be impossible not to become defensive. However, an excellent place to begin is by considering their specific complaints. In some cases, it may be obvious that your ex is making baseless accusations, but in others, there may be a grain of truth. Consider whether anything they are saying has merit and determine if you can remedy the problem. For example, if the complaint is that you do not feed the kids healthy food or keep them on a routine during your time together, ask yourself if that is true. If there are improvements you can make, begin making better choices. When the other parent is alleging more serious problems such as you drinking too much around the kids or exposing them to questionable people, you may need to take the allegations seriously and take immediate steps to ensure your children are safe.
Consider Coaching
If you feel like there are ways you could improve as a parent you may want to look into hiring a parenting coach. These individuals specialize in helping parents learn more about how to effectively parent their children and improve their relationship. Another option could be consulting with a family therapist who can help you and your kids relate to one another and strengthen your bond. By being proactive and showing that you want to improve may help you become closer with your kids and refute the other parent’s claims.
Sometimes the other parent will be critical of you even when you are doing all that you can to positively parent your children. In this instance, you may need the help of an experienced child custody attorney who can help you assess your situation and determine what actions you may need to take.
At the Draper Law Office, we have attorneys who are experienced with helping clients with child custody and parenting time issues and can help. Contact us online or at 866-767-4711 today to set up your free, no-obligation consultation in one of our two locations: Kissimmee, and Orlando.
