"Your Honor, he's been calling me names and saying mean things to me!"

"Tommy… you agreed to keep your communication businesslike and child-focused. Let's keep to that agreement, please."

When the parent in the trench coat is behaving more like a child than the child is, something has gone very sideways. 🎒

In high-conflict coparenting, adults sometimes regress — especially when they feel powerless or unheard. The courtroom becomes the place they finally get to say it all.

Meanwhile, the actual child is standing there watching. And that's the part worth paying attention to.

How we show up in conflict is what our kids learn about conflict. Every time. 💙