«A house divided
against itself...» If you are parenting with a
spouse or partner, don't get stuck in good cop / bad cop roles, where one parent is always enforcing the rules and boundaries and the
other is not.Aside from causing tension in your
relationship, splitting your authority like this gives your teen the message that consequences are all about the «tough» parent being, well, tough.
On the
other hand, if you refuse to let your son see that same suicidal
spouse because you think your
spouse is mentally unstable and could be dangerous to your son, your refusal can and will be used
against you to demonstrate that you are trying to deprive your son of his right to a
relationship with his
other parent.