I’m a parent and thankfully not divorced. But I’ve considered what something like that would look like and the kind of co-parenting we would have to adopt for what’s best for our children and ourselves as people.

One big thing for me personally would be that if we were to form any serious romantic relationships with another person, and wanted to introduce our partners to our children, to disclose it with the co-parent out of respect and hash out how that would like to best help the kids handle introduction of this new Inter-personal dynamic in their lives (it can be tricky for kids of divorce).

We’re presumed that even thought they’re divorced, Michelle and Ted are both very active and in communication with things that revolve around their son with eachother. Her leaving out that she’s bringing to the house the guy she’s dating and actively hanging out with their son is not only weird but fucked up. Let alone their damn couples therapist (that’s a whole another level of fucked up).

Yes, she has a right to have her own private life and date whoever she pleases. But introducing people into your children’s life and HOME, well that becomes Ted’s business as well. Not telling him or having a discussion about it completely undermined their co-parenting dynamic that other wise seemed very healthy.

Between forcing Ted to sign divorce papers that could have waited a day (in midst of intense work week for Ted) and going ahead to date the therapist and introducing to their son without even a heads up, Michelle is obviously a self centered person.

I know it’s only fiction, but I think this stuff does happen in real life and the way Michelle has handled it is not ok in the slightest. Ted could have been a little more forthcoming about how not ok it was, while still being respectful IMO.