Search guides on hostile texts, emails and co-parenting

Guides and resources

• Abusive Sports Parent Messages: A Coach’s GuideGetting abusive messages from a sports parent? A guide for volunteer coaches and team managers on boundaries, replies, club complaints and keeping a record.
• AVO Conditions: What Contact Is Allowed?What AVO and intervention order conditions mean when you still need contact about children, property or court matters, and what is and isn’t permitted.
• AVO, IVO, DVO: Intervention Orders by StateAVO, IVO, DVO: what an intervention order or apprehended violence order is called in each state, the law behind it, and what the conditions mean for contact.
• Best Co-parenting App for High Conflict (2026)Most co-parenting apps need both parents to sign up. FenceChat works from your side alone, filtering hostile emails and texts from a high-conflict ex.
• BIFF Method: How to Reply to a Hostile Co-parentThe BIFF method (Brief, Informative, Friendly, Firm) for replying to a hostile co-parent or ex, with example BIFF responses and the mistakes to avoid.
• Can Text Messages Be Used as Evidence in Court?Often yes, if relevant and shown to be genuine. How US courts treat texts, from authentication to screenshots, and how to submit them in custody cases.
• Can Text Messages Be Used in Family Court?Text messages can be used in family court, but screenshots alone are weak evidence. What courts look at and how to keep a clear, timestamped record.
• Cease and Desist Letter for HarassmentShould you send a cease and desist letter for harassment? What it is, when it helps, when it backfires, what to include and what to do if it’s ignored.
• Cease and Desist Letter for Harassment: US GuideA cease and desist letter for harassment is a written demand to stop. What to include, a sample letter, how to send it in the US and what to do next.
• Child Custody Arrangements and Calm HandoversCommon custody schedules, from week on, week off to 60/40 and 70/30, what to consider at different ages, and how to keep handover messages calm.
• Child Support Payments: Talking to Your Ex CalmlyHow to message your ex about child support, late or missed payments and extra costs without a fight. Calm wording, plus official help in Australia and the US.
• Co-Parenting Apps in the US: 2026 ComparisonCompare US co-parenting apps as of October 2026: OurFamilyWizard, TalkingParents, AppClose, BestInterest and 2houses. Prices, free plans, court orders.
• Co-Parenting Boundaries: A List With ExamplesA list of co-parenting boundaries with examples of what to say, from contact hours to new partners and money, plus how to set them in writing and hold them.
• Co-Parenting Tips for When Messages Get Tense (12 Ideas)Co-parenting tips for tense moments: schedule changes, late handovers, holidays and new partners. Simple wording that keeps messages calm and child-focused.
• Co-parenting With a Narcissist: How to CommunicateCo-parenting with a narcissist? How to keep communication minimal, factual and documented, what to say to avoid a reaction, and how to protect yourself.
• Coercive Control in Messages: Signs and ExamplesCoercive control is a pattern of behaviour, not one incident. How it shows up in texts and emails, examples, where to get help, and keeping a safe record.
• Communicating During a Business DisputeEvery message you send during a business dispute becomes part of the record. Here’s how to communicate, what to avoid, and when to stop communicating directly.
• Communicating Through an Inheritance DisputeEstate and inheritance disputes turn family talk toxic fast. How to stay in contact with relatives or an executor, protect yourself and keep a record.
• Communicating With a Difficult Business PartnerHow to communicate with a difficult business partner in a dispute: one channel, calm factual messages and a complete record for mediation or a lawyer.
• Customer Stalking: A Small Business GuideCustomer stalking or harassment leaves small business owners with no HR to call. Escalation patterns, your legal protections and how to build evidence.
• Dealing With Abusive CustomersAbusive customer behaviour harms staff and business. What counts, how to handle it in the moment, when to refuse service and how to document a pattern.
• Email Relay Service: Filter and Hide Your AddressAn email relay service sits between you and a hostile sender. It filters abuse, hides your address and keeps every message. How it works, when to use one.
• Ex Won’t Stop Contacting You? What to DoYour ex won’t stop contacting you or leave you alone? When unwanted contact becomes harassment, how to document it, and your options in Australia.
• Executor Dealing With a Hostile BeneficiaryExecutor facing a hostile beneficiary? What you owe them and what you don’t, communicating in writing, and protecting yourself while finishing the estate.
• Family Estrangement: Low Contact Without BlockingEstrangement doesn’t have to mean no contact. How to go low contact with a parent, sibling or relative, set limits by text and keep hostile messages out.
• FAQ: Filtering Hostile Texts and EmailsAnswers on filtering hostile texts and emails, blocking versus filtering, co-parenting, using messages in court, privacy, plans and the free trial.
• Fawning in Messages: Why You Over-ApologiseFawning means smoothing things over with someone hostile by apologising, agreeing or over-explaining. How to spot it in your replies and write calmer ones.
• Filter Your Ex’s Messages Without Their CooperationFilter messages from your ex without their cooperation or an app. Only you sign up, they keep using normal email or text, and every original is kept.
• Filtering vs Blocking Someone: Which Protects You?Blocking someone cuts off all contact, which isn’t an option when you share children, a case or a business. How filtering compares, and when each is right.
• Gaslighting Examples in Texts and How to RespondGaslighting examples from real texts and emails: the phrases to watch for, how it differs from a disagreement, and how to respond calmly and keep a record.
• Grey Rock Method (Gray Rocking) for Co-parentingThe grey rock method (gray rocking) explained for co-parenting: how to give brief, boring, factual replies that reduce conflict and protect your mental health.
• Guides to Hostile Messages and HarassmentGuides to hostile messages and harassment, whether you’re co-parenting, leaving a relationship or dealing with a hostile client, customer or colleague.
• Harassing Texts From an Ex: What You Can DoHarassing texts from an ex are hard to stop when you still need contact. How to protect yourself from the abuse without cutting off communication entirely.
• High Conflict Personality: Spot One, Reply by TextWhat a high conflict personality is, the four traits people often notice, and how to reply by text without getting pulled into an argument. With examples.
• High-Conflict Co-parenting CommunicationHow to keep high-conflict co-parenting communication focused on the children: clear boundaries, short factual replies and protecting your wellbeing.
• How FenceChat Works, and How to Set It UpA plain explanation of how FenceChat filters hostile email and SMS, keeps your real details private, archives everything, and how to set it up in a few minutes.
• How to Document Emotional AbuseHow to document emotional abuse in messages and conversations: what counts, how to record and store it safely, and how it can be used to show a pattern.
• How to Document Workplace HarassmentDocumenting workplace harassment properly can make or break a claim. What HR and employment lawyers need, what to record and how to store it securely.
• How to Document Workplace Harassment in the USHow to document workplace harassment in the US: what to record, how to report it at work, EEOC charge time limits, retaliation rules and where to get help.
• How to End a Client Relationship (Letter Template)How to end a client relationship politely: signs it’s time, a termination letter template, a clean handover, and what to do if they keep messaging.
• How to Export and Print Text Messages for CourtHow to export and print text messages for court: what a printout should show, how to do it from your phone, and how FenceChat keeps a dated record.
• How to Filter Abusive Messages With AIHow AI message filtering works: it reads incoming texts and emails, removes the abuse before you see them and keeps the original. Why it beats blocking.
• How to Get a Second Phone Number, or Use a RelayHow to get a second phone number: a second SIM, an app, an internet number or a filtering relay. What each one hides, and when a relay protects you better.
• How to Hide Your Phone Number From an ExNeed to stay in contact with an ex but keep your real number private? Second SIMs, virtual numbers and relay services compared, and when each one works.
• How to Keep a Record of Harassment (Free Template)How to keep a record of harassing messages in Australia: what to save, how to back up texts and emails, and a free harassment log template you can copy.
• How to Protect Your Peace From Hostile MessagesA hostile message on your lock screen can derail hours. Here is how to take back control of when and how those messages reach you, without cutting off contact.
• How to Respond to a Narcissist (With Examples)How to respond to a narcissist by text or email: what to say, what not to say, example replies, when to stay silent, and how to keep records that protect you.
• How to Respond to an Angry Text or EmailHow to respond to an angry text or email without making it worse, with example replies for a neighbour, sibling, former business partner, client and ex.
• How to Separate Amicably: Talking Points for an Amicable Divorce or SeparationHow to separate amicably: things to think about and talk through for an amicable separation or divorce, what not to say during a separation, and help if things get tense.
• How to Set Boundaries by Text (With Examples)How to set boundaries by text with a hostile ex, relative, neighbour or client: example messages, how to word them, and how to hold them when they push back.
• How to Set Boundaries With a Difficult ClientHow to set boundaries with a difficult client: define the channel, hours and scope, enforce them calmly and keep a record. Includes ready-to-use scripts.
• How to Stop Harassing Emails, Including From an ExHow to stop harassing emails, including from an ex. Why blocking falls short, how to keep the evidence, when to involve police and what actually works.
• How to Stop Harassing Text MessagesHow to stop harassing text messages when blocking doesn’t work: filtering, relay numbers, what police can do and how to document every message.
• How to Stop People Pleasing With a Hostile PersonHow to stop people pleasing when someone sends hostile messages. Practical ways to say no by text, keep replies short and stop giving in just to keep the peace.
• How to Stop Someone Texting You Without BlockingHow to stop someone texting you without blocking them: phone settings, firm boundaries, and keeping needed contact without reading every hostile text.
• How We Write Our GuidesHow the FenceChat editorial team writes and checks its guides: the sources we use, how we keep pages current, and what our guides are and are not.
• Is It Legal to Filter Messages Someone Sends You?Is it legal to filter messages someone sends you? A plain look at the principles, keeping originals and the sender’s one-time notice. Not legal advice.
• Keep Your Personal Number Away From ClientsFreelancers often give clients their personal number without thinking. Why that’s a risk, your options, and how to set up a clean professional separation.
• Landlord and Tenant Disputes: Keeping It CivilLandlord and tenant disputes can turn hostile while repairs, rent and notices still need handling. How to keep communication civil, private and documented.
• Letter of Demand for an Unpaid Invoice: Template and TipsWhat a letter of demand is, when to send one for an overdue invoice, a simple template, and how to stay calm if the client turns hostile. AU and US links.
• Neighbor Fence Dispute: Who Pays and What to DoA fence dispute with a neighbour in the US? How local rules, property lines, shared costs, mediation and small claims work, and how to keep messages calm.
• Neighbour Fence Dispute NSW: Who Pays and What to DoNeighbour fence dispute in NSW? Who pays for a dividing fence, how a fencing notice works, free mediation, and keeping it all civil and in writing.
• Noisy Neighbours: How to Make a Noise ComplaintNoisy neighbours? How to raise it politely, write a noise complaint, keep a noise diary, and when to involve strata, your landlord, council or mediation.
• On Edge Waiting for Their Next Message?Always checking your phone and dreading one person’s next message? Practical, non-clinical steps to take back control of when and how you read them.
• Online Harassment of Your Small BusinessOnline harassment of your small business? How to document it, report it to platforms, explore your legal options and protect your reputation.
• OurFamilyWizard and TalkingParents AlternativeLooking for an OurFamilyWizard or TalkingParents alternative? They suit cooperative co-parents. FenceChat filters hostile messages when cooperation fails.
• OurFamilyWizard Cost 2026: Plans and AlternativesHow much does OurFamilyWizard cost in 2026? US and Australian plan prices, why each parent pays, and how TalkingParents, AppClose and FenceChat compare.
• Parallel Parenting: What It Is and How It WorksParallel parenting explained: what it is, how it differs from co-parenting, when to choose it and how to make it work in high-conflict situations.
• Parenting After Separation Course: Calm MessagesDoing a parenting after separation course? What they cover, common Australian options, and how to keep messages with the other parent calm afterwards.
• Parenting Orders: What They Mean for Day-to-Day MessagesParenting and consent orders in plain language: what they cover, why communication still matters, and how to keep messages calm if orders aren’t followed.
• Parenting Plan: What to Include and How to CommunicateWhat a parenting plan is, what to include, and the part many templates leave out: how you’ll communicate. Example wording, plus official Australian checklists.
• Persistent Unwanted Contact in BusinessPersistent unwanted contact affecting your business? A step-by-step guide to escalating, from formal written notice to cease and desist and legal action.
• Property Settlement After Separation: Process and MessagesProperty settlement after separation in Australia, in plain language: the usual process, time limits, delays, and calm money messages with your ex.
• Protective Order vs No Contact Order: US GuideProtective, restraining and no-contact orders explained for the US: the main types, whether texts count, what to do about a breach and where to start.
• Selling Online Without Giving Out Your NumberFound a buyer? Arrange pickup by text using a FenceChat number instead of your mobile, so your real number stays private and any abuse is filtered.
• Separate Email Address for Your ExA separate email address for your ex sounds sensible, but you still read everything they send. A better approach filters the abuse before it reaches you.
• Separated Under One Roof: Living Together After You SeparateSeparated under one roof? How to separate from your partner while living together: questions on space, money, the children and messages, and what counts as separated.
• Separation Checklist: First Steps and Questions to DiscussA separation checklist for Australia and elsewhere: first steps, how to prepare for separation, and questions on children, money, home and communication.
• Sibling Conflict Over an Ageing Parent’s CareSibling conflict over an ageing parent’s care is common. How to communicate with a hostile sibling, decide in writing and keep your parent at the centre.
• Threatening Messages From a Former EmployeeThreatening messages from a former employee? How to respond, what to preserve, your legal options and how to protect your team from further harassment.
• Threatening Texts From an Ex: What to DoThreatening texts from an ex? What counts as a legal threat, how to preserve evidence properly, when to contact police and how to protect yourself.
• Tools for Hostile Business CommunicationWhen a former employee, client or business contact turns hostile, most businesses reach for tools not built for the job. What exists, and what’s missing.
• Unfair Dismissal Claim: Managing CommunicationUnfair dismissal claim in Australia? How to protect yourself, document communication and avoid common mistakes during a Fair Work Commission process.
• What Happens to Filtered Messages?What happens to filtered messages? They’re screened, not deleted, and kept in a private archive you can read any time and export whenever you need them.
• What Is Considered Harassment by a Co-Parent?What is considered harassment by a co-parent? How to tell difficult from abusive, examples, what Australian law says, and steps to protect yourself.
• What Is DARVO? Meaning, Examples and How to RespondDARVO means Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender. What it looks like in texts and emails, with examples, and how to respond calmly in writing.
• What the Other Person Sees When You Filter MessagesWhat does the other person see when you filter messages? A one-time notice on first contact, never your real details. Here’s how it compares with blocking.
• When a Client Turns Hostile: What to DoClient relationship turned hostile? How to document the change, communicate safely, understand your legal options and protect your business going forward.
• When a Co-parenting App Isn’t the Right AnswerCo-parenting apps like OurFamilyWizard and TalkingParents only work when both parents use them. What to do when that’s not possible, or it isn’t co-parenting.
• When the Other Parent Won’t Use a Co-parenting AppIf the other parent refuses a co-parenting app, or telling them about one isn’t safe, you still have ways to filter and record communication without them.
• Who Gets the Dog After a Breakup in Australia?Who gets the dog after a breakup in Australia? How the law has treated pets since June 2025, the rules if you weren’t de facto, and how to settle it.
• Who Gets the House After Separation or Divorce?Who gets the house after separation? The usual options (selling, a buyout or co-owning for a time) and how to talk about it without it turning hostile.
• Who Pays the Mortgage After Separation?Who pays the mortgage after separation, and how to handle joint accounts, shared debts and bills, with short, clear money messages to your ex.
• Yellow Rock Method for Co-parentingThe yellow rock method is grey rock with warmth for co-parenting: brief and calm, but polite enough to read well if a court or your children see messages.