The "spying" is necessary because of the false allegations/lies/behavior patterns. This isn't a 'friendly' divorce. She said she wanted a D, I told her "Okay, 50/50 split, we will share custody of D1, and we can part as friends." That wasn't good enough, she made false allegations of abuse, started telling everyone that I was abusive, etc. and going so far as to attempt to incite me to do things by withholding D1, threatening me, filing on 'mental and physical cruelty' fault grounds, etc.
I say "Hey can I get D1 for Spring Break?" and I hear from her attorney "He threatened to steal the baby and take her across state lines."
So unfortunately the documentation is necessary to preserve the truth - because I'm hearing all kinds of insane things from her after we have what I think is a 'sane' conversation she twists it to whatever she needs her attorney to have. She accused me of trying to drown her - and I asked about it and she said that I had yelled one time when she was in the bathtub.
She accuses me of beating her, and provides a photograph where she has a bruise on her arm that was from an incident she had fallen at the daycare when a child ran into her.
She shows up at my house with OM waiting right outside my front door, and just makes herself at home by barging in and going through items in the house. She wants me to do something so she can call the police - and I'm documenting each and every interaction to disprove any allegation.
I hate that it is necessary... but I'm not the one who asked for the D. She came at me with fury, probably half-believing her own lies, and accused me of some pretty serious stuff (that isn't true).
The A stuff... I've got more than enough evidence. But unfortunately I still am having to document everything.
Unfortunately for her... I dealt with crazy with my xW. So I know how to respond, and it does sound insane because it is crazy-making at its finest. All my documentation sobered her and her attorney up pretty fast though.
"You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into."