Question
What is the impact on a child when one parent challenges, contradicts, minimizes, dismisses the other parent's dealing with a child in front of the child? We just spent a week of vacation with close friends. The Dad told the kids we were thinking about going to a water park and the Mom immediately criticized him for telling them when it wasn't definitive. She did it right in front of the kids and they argued for a minute or two. I saw this multiple times a day all week long. Mom didn't like how Dad handled or addressed the kids and openly challenged and argued with him on the spot. And vice versa. They have behavior issues with their youngest 10-year-old son. I wonder if this conflict dynamic is part of it.
