A divorced parent's journey to mending a broken bond
There's a point in many divorces where the relationship becomes so poisoned, there's no point in attempting to get the two warring sides to agree to everything – they're just not going to. And when the warring factions go at it, it's the child who has to pick a side. Unfortunately, because most kids are impressionable, the biases of whichever parent gained custody will rub off on them. Once that process is underway, is there any chance for the other parent to have a civil relationship with their child?
The short answer yes, but the long answer is that it's going to probably take a lot of time. Like we mentioned earlier, children are incredibly impressionable. If they're spending a majority of their time with your ex and their family, they will probably hear a lot of bad things about you. The best advice we can give is the most obvious one – take the high road.
We know that's it's hard during those weekends you have visitation, and you try to connect to them only to spend most of your time talking to a door. But you have to keep trying – this is your kid. Their youth is both to your disadvantage and advantage. They have a long time to make up their minds about you. The more you take that high road and don't speak ill about your ex-spouse, choosing to spend that time creating a bond that your child will recognize in the long run, the better off you'll be. It won't be easy, but as with most things worthwhile in life, it never is.