You want a peaceful co-parenting relationship, right? In some cases, I hear divorcees say “I can’t have a peaceful relationship with my former because he (or she) is an abusive narcissist.” And it’s quite true. There are some people who are so bitter and self-involved that they can’t play nicely with others, no matter how nicely the others play. Each person has the agency to choose how they are going to show up in relationships with others. We don’t get to choose for the other person.
The difficulty of having a wounded former spouse is that you may have children together and, thus, are forced to deal with each other. If you don’t have children together, you can simply say goodbye and be done. (If your former spouse is not toxic, maybe you want to stay friends, but that is a subject for another day.)
So, how do you go about dealing with a toxic former spouse who cannot seem to put the kids first, above his or her own pain? I have a few suggestions.
- Accept the things you cannot change. I have often heard people complain about their exes’ dating choices, keeping beer in the fridge, junk food consumption, permissive parenting, or not taking the kids to church on their weekends. They sometimes go to elaborate lengths in the effort to control what is happening during their former spouses’ parent time, the name of doing it “for the kids.” While the other parent’s choices have real consequences for the children, you no longer have any say in how your former spouse uses his or her parent time.Unless your former spouse is exposing the kids to violent pornography or doing a drug deal in the living room right in front of them, or something of equal gravity, the courts aren’t going to intervene. Difficult as it may be, let go of trying to control what is happening at the kids’ other house. Let go of the need to tell your former spouse who he or she can date or how he or she should live to be an example to the children. Instead, spend your energy on the things you have control over—including what happens during your own parent time. If necessary, let your kids just see the contrast without pointing it out.
- Set firm boundaries. I recently watched as a mid-single woman received a phone call from an irate former spouse. She first tried to explain what had happened, but her former husband kept interrupting and speaking rudely. After a few attempts to explain the situation, she said, “did you call me up just to scold me?” As he got even more upset, she calmly said, “yeah, we don’t need to do that,” and hung up the phone. You may be used to trying to calm or placate your former husband or wife, and that habit may be hard to break. Keep in mind that, now that you are divorced, you don’t need to do that.If your former gets upset on a phone call, hang up. Tell him or her to call back later when they are calm. If a toxic former is at your home, don’t allow them to come inside. If they become abusive, close and lock the door. If necessary, call the police. Ask your former spouse not to come by your home without calling first and refuse to answer the door if that boundary is violated. Insist that your former spouse knock rather than just walk into the home. That may be difficult for a former spouse that is used to living in that home. But he or she has no more right to simply walk in than a stranger. It is now your space and not your former spouse’s. If your former will not observe these rules, install deadbolt locks and an alarm system, and call the police if these measures fail. You may need to set up custody exchanges for a neutral and public place to avoid ugly encounters. Boundaries are essential to dealing with toxic people.
- Keep it about the kids. Often, a former spouse becomes toxic because they feel like the victim of an unwanted divorce–or an abusive marriage. How they choose to see that is no longer your business. When these kinds of charges are hurled at you, it is common to react to defend yourself. Resist that urge. Rehashing the reasons for your divorce is not helping anyone. If you could have convinced your former spouse of your point of view, you wouldn’t be divorced.Simply take that kind of discussion off the table. If your former spouse starts to move the conversation into discussion of your former relationship, resentments, issues between the two of you, or painful things in your former marriage, calmly say, “That’s in the past. We are divorced now and the only reason we talk is because of the kids. We don’t need to talk about our personal issues with each other anymore.” If your former spouse gets upset with this kind of statement, simply cut off the conversation and go back to your life.
- Don’t use the kids as a go-between. Some people don’t want to deal with the toxic former spouse, so they triangulate the kids as spies or messengers. Don’t involve the kids in adult business. Don’t ask them to choose sides. If you find out that your former spouse is using the kids to punish you or teaching them to hate you, keep good notes of anything you learn. Calmly tell your former spouse that you are keeping records of this behavior and, if necessary, you will go before the judge and reveal it.By the way, I don’t care how much money or power your former spouse has. He or she does not want to go in front of the judge and explain this kind of abhorrent conduct. He or she may try to get you to lose it and appear crazy to the judge. Don’t take the bait in court or anywhere else. Above everything else, resolve to stay calm no matter what.
- Create a good support system. During your marriage, you may have been used to interacting mainly with your spouse. Cultivate good relationships with family or same-gender friends who will be there for you and help you stay strong if difficulties arise. Abusive people like to isolate their victims. Don’t allow yourself to be isolated.
Dealing with a toxic former spouse can be one of the most difficult things you will ever do. There are toxic former spouses of both genders. Following these suggestions will help to keep the toxicity at arms-length. I welcome any other suggestions you may have in the comments.
About the Author
Jeff Teichert, and his wife Cathy Butler Teichert, are the founders of “Love in Later Years,” which ministers to Latter-day Saint single adults seeking peace, healing, and more joyful relationships. They are co-authors of the Amazon bestseller Intentional Courtship: A Mid-Singles Guide to Peace, Progress and Pairing Up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff and Cathy each spent nearly a decade in the mid-singles community and they use that experience to provide counsel and hope to mid-singles and later married couples through written articles, podcasts, and videos. Jeff and Cathy are both Advanced Certified Life Coaches and have university degrees in Family & Human Development. They are the parents of a blended family that includes four handsome sons, one lovely daughter-in-law, and a sweet baby granddaughter.
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SarahOctober 11, 2022
Talk only via those court approved aps. Record any phone conversations, not that it'll help, as they will say u manipilulated the recording but for your own sanity! Go no contact, except via the ap. Don't engage, explain, defend or personalise. See them as 9 Yr olds baiting you for a fight, don't take the bait. Don't validate your feelings, they don't care. Save your breath. Answer with 'whatever' and walk away/hang up. You are their feed, give them nothing