Usually my ex husband and I get along. I believe we have done a better than average job of getting along for Hailey’s sake. In the beginning my ex was not all that pleasant and there were times when he said things around Hailey that were inappropriate but once he worked through his anger about the divorce things got better.
We have even celebrated holidays and birthdays together so Hailey would never be torn between her parents. Friends and family couldn’t believe how well we got along.
That all changed when Hailey turned eighteen. Suddenly her father was not speaking to either one of us. Hailey made some choices that we didn’t agree with, they were difficult choices and I wished she didn’t have to make them at such a young age, but I was proud of her regardless.
Her father felt differently. He viewed every choice she made that he didn’t agree with as proof of my poor parenting and how poorly our daughter turned out, and proceeded to tell everyone how he felt. On Facebook no less.
It’s bad enough when teenagers are on social media sites saying mean and hurtful things about each other. We try to teach our children how to handle bullies and to not respond to the things they say and do. What do you say when that bully is your child’s father?
The really sad part is that we moved away from all of my ex husbands family when Hailey was two, they don’t know her, all they know is what he tells them, and it’s not a pretty picture.
I’m not sure how to handle this, I’m not sure what to tell my daughter. We are not his friends on Facebook so she doesn’t have to see the things he says, but she still feels the repercussions in the way his family treats her.
How do you protect your child from an online bully when that bully is their father?