When Conflict Becomes the Norm
Learn how to step out of reactivity and find your footing again.
When you’re co-parenting with someone who thrives on conflict, every message, drop-off, or court update can feel like walking into a trap. You want peace—but peace feels impossible when your nervous system is always bracing for the next attack.
The truth?
You can’t control a high-conflict co-parent.
But you can learn to stop taking the bait.
​
At Empowered Co-parenting Strategies, you’ll learn how to:
-
Regulate your body so their chaos doesn’t become yours.
-
Recognize emotional hooks before they pull you in.
-
Respond instead of react—for your sake and your child’s.
-
Reclaim your focus and rebuild a sense of calm, even when the other parent doesn’t change.
The work starts with your nervous system—not your ex. When you’re steady, the conflict loses its grip.
You’re not crazy—it’s crazy-making.
You try to be the reasonable co-parent, explaining your point of view and keeping communication open. But it backfires. You get provocation, blame, or silence in return. Your efforts to co-parent seem to make things worse.
So you try appeasing—hoping they’ll meet you halfway. Instead, they twist the story, play the victim, and paint you as the problem. You start to feel resentment rising. When you finally set a boundary, they escalate, and suddenly you’re defending yourself again.
Now you’re panicked about looking like the uncooperative parent. You over-explain to appear “reasonable,” and the cycle resets.
You’re fighting on two fronts—the outer conflict with them, and the inner one that keeps trying to make sense of what doesn’t make sense.
And that’s just the start. You need support.
Here's a few situations coaching with Aaron can help you turn things around:
1. Emotional
Whiplash
​​
One day you’re getting along; the next, you’re accused or attacked.
Learn how to stop riding their emotional rollercoaster and start finding your own rhythm.
2. Fear of Losing Your Children
​
The constant manipulation, false allegations or threats, and manipulation hit where it hurts most.
You’ll learn how to stay grounded and protect your child without feeding the drama.
3. The Communication Trap
​
You feel like you have to set to record straight every single time you get a message that's blaming you, painting you to be the uncooperative parent, or simply just gaslighting you.
​
Discover how to communicate briefly, neutrally, and without inviting more conflict.
4. Court Chaos & Exhaustion
​
You’re tired of walking on eggshells and gathering evidence.
Let’s simplify your approach and help you focus on what actually moves the needle.
5. Nervous System Burnout
​
Your body is the battlefield—tight chest, racing mind, sleepless nights.
Learn to regulate your system so their storm doesn’t live in you.
You’ve tried explaining, reasoning, and meeting them halfway. You’ve played nice, set boundaries, stayed silent, or documented every word. None of it breaks the pattern—because this isn’t a communication problem. It’s a nervous system problem. Two nervous systems. Yours and theirs.
Their chaos activates yours.
Your reactivity fuels theirs.
And the cycle keeps looping until one of you steps out of the dance.
That’s where your power lies. You can't do anything about their anxiety or fearful state. You have take responsibility for your own regulation as a starting point and disengage from their dysregulated chaos.
At Empowered Co-parenting Strategies, you’ll learn how to:
-
Regulate your body in the heat of provocation so you can stay calm and clear.
-
Set boundaries that protect your peace without escalating the fight.
-
Communicate strategically, not reactively—so every word serves a purpose.
-
Lead with steadiness, modeling for your child what safety looks and feels like. Safety isn't control of the other parent. It's regulated presence and attunement.
Most importantly, you aren’t the only one caught in the conflict.
Your kids are in the crossfire.
The way to get them—and yourself—out of the chaos isn’t through the other parent or the court system.
It’s through you. You’re the steady one they’re waiting for.
High Conflict Disengagement Tips