Staying Out of Your Spouse's Relationship with Their Ex

Unlike generations ago, most people who marry today are not in their very first romantic relationship. Because today’s newlyweds are likely to have an ex partner or spouse to contend with, it’s not reasonable to think that this person will never have an impact on the new relationship. In stepfamilies, the natural parent almost always has some degree of connectedness to their ex, even if their conversations never go beyond the care of the children.

Allowing Your Spouse Some Space

Except in cases where one parent is permanently out of the picture, both natural parents typically make decisions about the care and welfare of their children, even if the couple is no longer together. While it can be difficult for stepparents to set aside their feelings and concerns, it is vital that they do so in allowing their partners to have the space that they need to converse with their ex in matters regarding the children. Anger and even jealousy are commonplace, but in the best interests of the children (and marital harmony), parents must be allowed and encouraged to maintain healthy, respectful lines of communication with the other parent of their kids. Marrying someone with children almost always means making space for a third person in the relationship.

Backing Up Your Spouse’s Decisions

While the ultimate responsibility for decisions regarding the welfare of the children remains with their parents, stepparents are often unwittingly drawn into the decision making process. It’s important that stepparents provide support and back up to their spouses, who may be dealing with opposition from their ex. After all, the pair did not always see eye-to-eye or they’d likely still be together, so it is no surprise that they may have different ideas about childrearing. While their romantic relationship has been left in the past, they must find some common ground about raising the children that they brought into the world.

Contributing Your Opinions from the Sidelines

While stepparents need to be a source of support to their spouse regarding the care of the stepchildren, they need to avoid being outwardly vocal and should allow the children’s natural parents to take ultimate responsibility for decision making. Any opinions and suggestions that a stepparent has (and it is reasonable to expect that they will have opinions – they care about the children, too) should be voiced only to their spouse, and not to their spouse’s ex or even worse, to the children themselves. Offering a willing ear and a supportive attitude can be quite helpful to a spouse who feels pressured by an ex to agree to things that don’t feel right to them.

Respecting the Children and their Feelings

While emotions can often run high when dealing with what may seem to be an unreasonable ex, it’s important for all of the adults to focus on the fact that the welfare of the children is the top priority. There are many conversations that adults have that are not meant for children’s ears, so care must be taken when voicing opinions about the kids’ natural parents. Just because the adults have chosen to end their relationship, the children remain attached to both parents and have every right to love them equally. Saying mean or hurtful things about a child’s parent is disrespectful to the child, so no matter how strongly the adults feel, they need to learn to keep control of their emotions when dealing with an ex.