3. Show respect for your co-parent.

All children deserve the right to live in the shelter of a respectful relationship between their parents if for no other reason than that children experience attacks between their parents as attacks on them.

Remember that children always pick up the tab for any ill will or attacks between their parents.

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    Consider showing respect to your co-parent in the ways you respond to problems.

    Too often divorced parents see a problem and instantly attribute it to something the other parent did. Let your child see that you work together to solve problems, not separately to blame each other.

    A good example is where a child cries upon returning home from time spent with one of the parents. Mom now has the care of a crying child and concludes that Dad must be a bad influence in the life of the child and should have his parenting time limited. Dad, who has just had a fine weekend with the child, concludes that the child dislikes Mom and should live full time with him. What Mom and Dad both missed is that the child is very possibly deeply sad over living between two worlds in conflict.

“The greatest weakness of all is the great fear of appearing weak.”

—Jacques Benigne Bossuet