If you are ending your marriage because you’re married to someone with narcissistic tendencies, you are probably already dealing with the fallout. You may be frustrated by their pleasant attitude one day combined with an angry or aggressive response when you don’t give in to what they want.
This back-and-forth behavior might remind you of Jekyll and Hyde while making it very hard for you to manage the divorce. Add children to the mix, and you have a difficult case on your hands.
Getting custody from a narcissistic ex
Getting custody from your narcissistic spouse can be difficult. Often, people who are narcissistic feel like they deserve everything and will then use children or assets to try to manipulate you.
As a parent, you want what’s best for your children. To minimize the impact of the divorce on them and to prevent the other parent from using them as pawns, there are a few steps you can take.
- Remember you’re dealing with a narcissistic personality
First, remember that the other person is narcissistic, so they can become vindictive and spiteful. With that in mind, you may want to work closely with your attorney, a therapist and other experts to help build a strong case against them and for custody. If the situation can be set up in a way that giving up custody or giving you the custody arrangements you want seems like your spouse’s idea, it may be much easier to get what you want.
- Keep excellent documentation
The next thing to do is to make sure you’re keeping documentation of everything that happens. Don’t engage with your ex’s negative behaviors. Instead, forward any negative communications directly to your attorney for them to handle the problem head-on.
- Involve the law when you need to
Being rude or aggressive is one thing, but withholding custody, being violent, or otherwise putting your children in harm’s way is unacceptable. If you need to, call the police to assist with a custody exchange or domestic violence situation to get it on record and to keep you safe.
These are three things to keep in mind as you work to get custody from your ex. Good documentation will go a long way in helping you win your case.
