An issue that unfortunately comes up a lot in divorce is one spouse bad-mouthing the other one, often in front of or to the children. This is so detrimental to the kids and to the relationships between all parties. I can’t stress enough how damaging this is. If your ex partner is saying nasty things about you, what can you do about it? You can’t make them stop, but you can control how you respond and how you model mature adult behavior to your children.