Empathic Parenting: Protecting Yourself from Co-Parent Harassment one that can help children feel heard and understood. It’s important to remember, however, that kids need to work through their big feelings on their own timetable. This is why empathy sometimes doesn’t de-escalate a tantrum or other challenging behavior right away. But it’s still worth trying to get in touch with their heart experience, so that you can offer validation and support.

Oftentimes, this can be as simple as taking a deep breath and letting yourself feel the frustration that your child is feeling. Using your empathy muscle in this way, can also help you stay calm and prevent you from reacting in ways that can escalate the situation even more.

Finding Harmony Amidst Conflict: Strategies for Navigating Co-Parenting and Harassment

For example, if your co-parent has engaged in acts of harassment or intimidation, it is essential that you take these incidents seriously and call the police. Doing so may allow you to file a restraining order against your co-parent and protect yourself from further harm or harassment.

Examples of harassment can include physical abuse, stalking, and threats to hurt or embarrass you or your children. A restraining order can help to protect you and your family by forcing the harassing co-parent to stop their behavior. Humiliation is another common type of harassment. This can be done through verbal attacks, embarrassing you publicly on social media or by spreading rumors about you. This is a form of emotional abuse and should be reported immediately to the police.