A spouse cheating on you can be a very bitter end to a marriage, which might make you carry a lot of resentment for the other person who helped destroy your relationship. Even in circumstances where your spouse didn’t cheat but instead moved on very quickly after the divorce, you may displace some of your anger and frustration toward your spouse by aiming it at their new partner.
If you have to share custody with your ex, that could mean that their extramarital affair partner or the person they started dating right after your divorce can have access to your kids. Is there any way to prevent your ex from introducing your children to a new romantic partner?
Each parent has control over their own parenting time
Feeling angry or hurt by your ex’s intention to introduce someone new to your children is natural. However, you will almost never have control over what they do with their parenting time.
When you have custody of your children, you get to determine where they go and who they interact with. However, when your ex has parenting time, they get to make those decisions, even if they only take care of the kids a fraction of the amount of time you do.
Can you show that this new partner is a danger to your children?
The one situation where the courts might potentially restrict your ex’s parenting rights by limiting who they bring around the children will involve threats to your children’s safety. If this new partner has a history of being physically violent, especially if they have targeted children in the past or lost custody of their own kids, the court may listen when you say that you feel that this person poses a threat to your children.
Barring evidence that validates your concerns about this person’s involvement with your kids, you will likely have to find a way to accept their presence. You might even want to consider sitting down with your ex and their new spouse or partner so that everyone in a position of authority in the lives of your kids has the same rules and priorities in mind.
If you want to make changes to your parenting plan to outline the role of a stepparent or other adult in your children’s lives, your family law attorney can provide valuable guidance.