After a child custody case, you may feel like focusing solely on your children and thinking little about your former partner. If the two of you have to co-parent, but your ex does not have custody, you may still need to include him or her in decisions.
According to Psychology Today, demeaning the relationship between your children and the noncustodial parent can result in consequences.
Will keeping your children from the noncustodial parent affect your custody?
If your former partner does not pose a threat against you or your children, preventing him or her from seeing the children can have a damaging effect on any future court hearings. The court will analyze your ability to foster a relationship between your children and your ex.
In extreme cases, if you do not allow the other parent to engage with or see the children, you may find yourself accused of parental alienation. Parental alienation occurs when one parent tries to program the children to reject his or her former spouse.
How can you foster a relationship between your children and their other parent?
Once you know that you need to foster a relationship between your children and the noncustodial parent, how do you do it? You should encourage your children to speak to the other parent and to have frequent contact. Do not keep the other parent out of significant events.
When making decisions about your children, you should counsel the noncustodial parent. For example, if you consider moving your children to a private school, you should ask for input.
When the judge looks at your case, he or she may judge you if you do not encourage your children to retain a strong relationship with both parents.
