Kids, being kids, like to complain. It allows them to entertain themselves while upsetting you, which can be something of a win-win for them. We have all been through a lot recently, and because the stress has to come out in one way or another, it can come out in strange ways in your children. One of these ways may be that your kids start complaining about their regular visitation with their other parent. Before you panic, keep reading, and attempt to get to the bottom of the matter before you consider addressing the issue with the court. If you are facing a visitation or child custody concern, do not delay consulting with an experienced Coryell County divorce lawyer.
Reasons Your Kids Might Be Complaining
The global pandemic we have all been slogging through has left us fatigued, and plenty of us are ready to cut our losses and simply stay inside with the TV blaring. Your kids are not immune to these feelings, and they are very likely picking up on the stress that you are naturally experiencing. If you are their primary custodial parent, the status quo is being home with you, and this might be about as much as your kids can handle right now. While this reasoning is easy to understand, giving in to it is not going to do your kids any favors.
You Are the Parent
Your children are not old enough or mature enough to make important decisions regarding visitation with their other parent on their own – this is one of the many reasons they need you, as their parent, to make important decisions on their behalf. The fact is that prevailing wisdom maintains that children are better off when they have an ongoing, meaningful relationship with both parents – barring a compelling reason for believing otherwise. Because you naturally want what is best for your children, keeping up your end of their ongoing visitation schedule with their other parent is paramount.
Do not punish the child's other parent. Read more about this in this article: What is Malicious Parent Syndrome?
Things You Can Do to Help
There are several things you can do to help make the situation better:
- Explain the situation to your ex, why you think it’s happening, and your commitment to helping
- Talk to your kids about the stress you’re feeling and assure them that it is both normal and temporary
- Make the trips to your kids’ other parent’s place happy occasions that they look forward to
- If you have it in you, suggest activities that you can all do together – you, your ex, and your shared children (if there was ever a time for reaching out, this is it)
Discuss Your Visitation Concerns with an Experienced Lawyer
Brett Pritchard at The Law Office of Brett H. Pritchard in Coryell County, Texas, is a compassionate divorce lawyer who is committed to helping you resolve your visitation concerns. For more information about how we can help you, please do not wait to contact or call us at 254-501-4040 today.
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