As co-parents, it’s best to accept that your parenting styles may differ from each other and do your best to accommodate your differences. However, sometimes, that can be tough. One example is if your ex is what some call a “Disneyland parent.”
The term refers to a style of parenting that is high on fun and low on responsibility. They’re the ones who take the kids out for the day, get them covered in mud and drop them back at yours unwashed, leaving you to clean up.Or who announces they are taking the kids to a fun park for the weekend, even though the children have exams on Monday and one is grounded. When you try to object, they tell you not to be so boring.
It can create tangible problems
Maybe you need to work extra shifts to pay for the child’s school uniform because your co-parent blew the money they should have contributed on taking the kids out. Or it takes you half an hour of scrubbing to get the mud out of clothes the kids got dirty when with them.
And intangible ones
You might feel your co-parent’s actions undermine your authority or paint you as the dull or stingy one. Or that they undo your attempts to instill discipline and a sense of responsibility into the kids.
It’s crucial to remember that they’re probably not setting out to hurt you, undermine you or anything like that. While that might be true for some people, most Disneyland parents are simply doing the best they can at that moment. It can especially so if the kids spend most of the time with you – your co-parent may be trying to compensate for the lost time.
Sometimes, all it takes to improve the situation is to explain how their actions make you feel. Other times, helping them take a more active role in your child’s life can pay dividends. It’s possible that you may need legal guidance to remedy co-parenting conflicts.