Child custody situations are often very emotional and challenging, even in the best situations. The difficulty of dealing with this increases exponentially when your ex is a narcissist.
A person who’s a narcissist can’t think about anyone besides themselves. This makes it incredibly unlikely that they will be able to do what’s best for the children. Instead, they will focus on what makes them feel good and make life harder for you.
Written communication may be the best option for emotional control and documentation
One of the hallmark traits of a narcissist is that they will gain power by invoking emotions from you. By hiding your emotions from them, you take away that chance. It may be difficult to do this in person or over the phone. With this in mind, it may be best to use written forms of communication. Not only does this give you the chance to control what response your ex gets, but it also provides documentation of the communication.
Because a narcissist will often try to twist the truth, it’s usually best to use an app that won’t allow for messages to be deleted. That could become important if there are disputes down the road, since it will provide you with a written record of all communications.
It’s important for you to remember that you can’t diagnose narcissism, so claims about your ex having this diagnosis must be backed by a verified diagnosis from a licensed mental health professional. Working with someone familiar with these matters may be beneficial so you can protect yourself and your children.
