Squabbles over the remote control or whose turn it is to empty the dishwasher are the bedrock of daily family life. But mothers and fathers who insult each other in front of their children may now find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Australian courts have begun ordering parents to refrain from making offensive remarks, claiming that constant carping between couples can damage young minds.
The orders relate not only to expletive-laden abuse, but to any remark that might be used by one parent to turn a child against the other. The type of comments that have attracted judges’ opprobrium include many seemingly innocuous ones, such as references to “Your silly mother”, or asking “Has your father got a job yet?”.
Words fail me.
