Q: Can my ex-husband dictate who I date and have around my children?
My ex-husband and I officially divorced in January of 2022. We have two children, aged 10 and almost 5. He's gone from being a very cooperative co-parent to a unreasonable co-parent in a matter of 2 weeks. He is now trying to tell me that my children are not allowed at my house because I live with my boyfriend, who my ex does not like, and that my boyfriend can't attend dinner with me with the kids.
His entire argument is that my boyfriend is a danger to the kids because I called the cops during a fight once and had him arrested for "grabbing me by the hair," which mind you, did not hurt me. I since then dropped the case against my boyfriend, but my ex refuses to let it go. My boyfriend is getting also getting new treatment for his mental health and my ex says he is unstable.
Is he allowed to tell me who to spend my life with? Can he keep my kids away from me? What options and rights do I have?
A: Is there a custody order? Without a custody order explicitly barring either party from exposing the minor children to persons you are dating, there shouldn't be anything stopping you from dating who you want to date and acting in the manner you seem to do doing. That said, there does need to be some caution about you go about doing this - if you exposing the children to someone who isn't in their best interests, he could file a custody action and use your own behaviors against you.
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