Some divorced Kentucky parents of young children may have the challenge of dealing with a difficult former spouse. If the conflict is largely one that is between the two parents and does not involve issues such as addiction or abuse, there may be ways of reducing the conflict. Often, the conflict may be largely due to the turmoil of divorce and may work itself out over time. The first step is to keep the focus primarily on the well-being of the child.
This means only communicating with the ex-spouse about issues that involve the child. The parent should draw strict boundaries around personal issues and avoid sharing this kind of information with the ex-spouse. A parent should also avoid making negative comments about the ex-spouse to the child. Children should have the opportunity to build a relationship with both parents and to be honest about their emotions, and this can discourage them from doing so. The relationship with the other parent should be encouraged.
Issues around child custody, visitation and co-parenting can be among the most difficult to navigate in a divorce because of the emotions involved, but parents may be able to negotiate an accord instead of having a judge make a decision during litigation. The parents may work with their attorneys to reach this arrangement, and then a judge may review it to ensure that it does not violate any laws.
Parents are generally encouraged to try to work out conflicts between themselves instead of returning to court each time an issue arises. However, if there are serious or repeated violations of custody and visitation agreements or a change in the amount of child support paid, parents might need to seek a modification of the particular order.