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How can custodial interference disrupt your co-parenting?

By Katie L. Lewis

Parent spending time with a child outdoors

After a divorce, you may struggle to co-parent successfully with your ex-spouse when he or she evades your complaints and tries to disrupt your time with your child.

One serious issue for co-parents is when one parent tries to alienate the other one from his or her child. These actions can lead to a fractured relationship and even legal trouble.

According to the Texas Constitution and Statutes, parental interference includes disrupting a child’s custody time with the other parent. This can range from returning a child too early to his or her other parent’s house to keeping him or her out late when it is time to switch houses.

If your ex-spouse refuses to follow the custody schedule set up for him or her, then it may be a sign he or she is trying to alienate you.

While you do not need to have constant communication with your ex-spouse, no texts or phone calls at all can be a sign of something worse. This can be especially worrisome if your ex-spouse is limiting your child’s ability to speak to you in some capacity, either in person or by phone or computer.

Sometimes an ex-spouse may attempt to create a strained relationship between you and your child by discussing private matters or lying about you in order to gain sympathy for himself or herself.

This can severely impact your otherwise healthy relationship with your child and may even lead to him or her avoiding you entirely. Parental alienation is a serious matter, and it can harm your ability to co-parent responsibly if your ex-spouse is attempting to interfere.

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