5 Coping Strategies for Dealing With His Difficult Ex-Wife

Of course, you deserve to be acknowledged, but being deserving isn’t enough. In mom’s mind, she didn’t sign up to co-parent with you, and she and her ex were doing just fine before you came along. If you stop expecting a “thank you” that you might never get, you’ll stop being disappointed. Let that expectation go, and if she happens to come around one day you’ll have reason to celebrate!

Who you should be receiving appreciation from is your husband. If he’s lacking in that department, give him a little reminder that it would be nice to be recognized for all you do.

It’s so easy to judge another’s parenting, especially when we only hear half the story. Realize that she is not you. She doesn’t see life through the same filter as you. She probably has different values than you, and our values guide most of our decisions. Is she making decisions that put her child in immediate danger? Will her choices assure your stepchild a life of crime? If so, then your husband needs to kick it into high gear, but if not, try to let go of your judgments. They’re a waste of time and the only person they hurt is you.

Does she seem to CC you on every nasty email to your husband? Or perhaps you’re the lucky recipient of her anger. A wonderful boundary to set in regard to email is to establish a rule. On most email servers, you can set a rule that says, “If from ___ then send to ___.” That way, her email goes directly into a designated folder for later use in court or the trash–whichever you see fit. Either way, it saves you from being harassed or affected by her negative words. And what you don’t know won’t hurt you.

I don’t know why we stepmoms feel the need to have our hand in everything, but the smartest and sanest thing you can do is let your husband be the one to communicate with her. This might seem harsh, and you might feel guilty because he’d rather not talk to her either, but it was his decision to marry her, or at least procreate with her, so she’s his to deal with. Stepping away from her drama will leave you in a more peaceful state and better able to support your husband.

Unless you were intentionally nasty and cruel to her, please stop beating yourself up, wondering what you did to make her hate you. And while you’re at it, please stop trying to be overly nice to her if she continues to show you she has no interest in forging a relationship with you. There are probably a million emotions she hasn’t processed or isn’t capable of working through and she just might not be able to accept you. It’s OK to stop trying to get some where with her. On the upside, she doesn’t have to accept you! Her opinion of you doesn’t dictate your worth. Let go of trying to please her and focus on what really matters— you, your marriage and your family.