Grandparents are usually a part of their grandchildren’s lives, and the relationships involved in the family tend to be good. While there can be problems here and there, most people do what they can to continue to connect with their parents, siblings and other relations.
Sometimes, parents have trouble after a divorce because of dissatisfaction with the ex-spouse’s parents. If a grandparent is constantly putting down the mother or father of the children involved in the divorce, that can be problematic. Sometimes, this can mean cutting ties with those individuals.
It may be hard for you to force a break in the relationship between your children and your ex-spouse’s parents, but if you have evidence that they are attempting to sabotage your relationship with your children, then your attorney may be able to help you make a case. Some situations that might be good as evidence that the relationship needs to be ended, at least for a short time, include:
- Finding out that the grandparent is calling you bad names or being derogatory about you in front of your children.
- Seeing that the grandparents don’t listen to any of the rules that you ask they follow even if your ex-spouse agrees.
- Being bad influences through arguing or fighting with you, even if the children don’t see it regularly. For example, undermining parents’ rules by stating that your rules don’t apply when the kids are with them.
There are many reasons to cut off grandparents, but if your ex-spouse’s parents are going overboard, you may want to have a discussion about limiting visitation or stopping it altogether.