Ex Husband Cannot Communicate W/me Always Ends up in a Fight

Hmm.
Could it be that he divorced you and still has to deal with you because you have children together?
Just because he invites you to fight doesn't mean you have to rise to the occasion.
Recognize what triggers you and when you see the fight coming then disengage.
If you've got an 18 month old, then you're in another relationship and you've moved on as much as your ex has.
The fighting keeps you connected in some way - so just let it go.
You no longer care enough to fight anymore.

There is not nearly enough information to provide an answer. If you can't figure this out, how can complete strangers who don't know your ex and have 0 information be expected to provide any decent insight.

Have you asked him? If he's hateful, and you want to know why ...

If it were me? I'd ignore it and move on. Just communicate as much as you need to. Life is too short to worry about why other people act the way they do.

Welcome to mamapedia!!

Why not go to the horse's mouth and ask him what his major malfunction is? Well - not like that - but really - go to him and say WHY is there so much animosity here? We need to work together. We have kids and we have to set an example for them.

You don't have to fight. You don't have to allow him to push your buttons. You realize that, right? It's a two-way street. He starts pushing for a fight and you follow him down the rabbit hole. WHY? Why can't you STOP THE INSANITY?? You're an adult, right? You can control your reaction, right?

When he starts pushing your buttons? Take a breathe and DO NOT go down the rabbit hole with him.

Your question doesn't really make much sense. "Why could this be?" sounds very immature or at the very least naive. Stop trying to have a relationship with him. Email only about the kids.

Who knows? You can't control his behavior or attitude so ignore it. Move on and surround yourself with friends, family and other people who love you and make you happy. F him.

More informatin would really be helpful, but ...

How do you communicate with him - over the phone, in person, at drop off & pick up, email?

If you are really fighting every time, I would restrict communication to email and text as much as possible. That way if he says something that infuriates you, you can walk away from it for a few minutes, cool off and then respond. You can also look at your answer, think about it for a minute and possibly change the wording if need be. You also have something to show your lawyer should you ever need to.

You can't control him. You can only control you. So always be polite, kind and helpful. If he wants to behave like a child, let him. But also, show him that his behavior isn't going to upset you or effect you ... at least not in front of him. He may never change, but don't let him get to you.

I would look to his current wife as being part of the problem. Possibly she gets stressed with having your children around and your ex passes on that stress to you? But really you can't control him or his attitude all you can control is your response to what he's saying. I'd say to keep all interaction with him short and to the point possible in email or text when available. If he starts to be stupid just say 'I am not going to argue with you about this' and see if he stops. If he doesn't say 'Ok since it doesn't look like we can have a discussion without arguing then we're done for now' and hang up the phone or walk away. It takes 2 people to argue so if you don't play along it ends.

The only person's behavior you can control is your own so stop engaging with him. Keep yourself calm and do not let him goad you into raising your voice or fighting with him. If he is being unreasonable then tell him that you will continue the conversation when he is ready to do so in an adult way.

Because he wants to???