Co-parenting with an ex can feel like walking on egg shells, especially in the aftermath of an affair.

For one dad, keeping his cool around his ex’s new beau became a full-time job, until one poorly timed insult set him back.

Read on for the full story.

AITA for calling my ex-wife’s new boyfriend names in front of my kids?

Alright, I’ll (46M) make a long story short.

My ex-wife (40F) left me two years ago for our next-door neighbor after I found out they’d been having an affair for about a year.

The custody battle that ensued didn’t turn out quite like he hoped.

We have two kids together (5F, 8M).

Unfortunately, the judge gave us split custody, though if I had my way, she and her new boyfriend would never come near my kids again after what they did.

I wish they didn’t have to grow up thinking this kind of behavior is acceptable.

Anyways, it’s been a long, painful process.

I’m at my wit’s end with this divorce.

Still, he hasn’t gotten used to being forced to be around the man who broke up their family.

I’m trying to be the mature adult here, but every once in a while, I’ll have a slip-up and call her new boyfriend obscene names when referring to him, sometimes maybe when the kids are within earshot.

I know it’s not the most mature thing to do, but I can’t see why I need to be respectful towards the man who stole my wife and broke up our family.

Soon his ex was at her limit too.

The other day, my ex-wife left me a long voicemail telling me how unacceptable it is to call this guy names in front of our kids.

My guess is that one of them repeated an insult to her.

Our friend wrote to me to back up my wife, claiming that I was being unfair to my kids.

He resents that he’s being treated like the villain in all this.

Out of this entire story, how the heck am I the one being the immature and unfair?

I know I’m not perfect, but acting like I’m the monster in this story seems excessive.

AITA?

It’s a tough situation, but sometimes you have to be the bigger person for your kids.

Reddit is sure to have some strong opinions.

Expressing emotions is one thing, but bringing the kids into it is another.

These two need to work out their bad blood in a more productive way.

Mature people do not behave this way.

If he doesn’t learn to control his emotions better, it could even hurt his custody case.

He’s been fighting to be the bigger person, but every slip of the tongue made him look a little smaller.

When it comes to little ears, you have to watch what you say.

If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.