Parental alienation is a form of manipulation. It occurs when one parent discredits or degrades the other parent in front of their child. Though this person is no longer married to you, they are still a parent to your child. Children continue to look up to their parents after the divorce, and parental alienation harms their overall development and mental health. Furthermore, it fractures a child’s relationship with their mother or father. There are several distinct signs of parental alienation.
Undermining Authority
Without understanding parental alienation, you run the risk of doing it unintentionally—that’s why we started with this section first. Some people maintain that they would never say something degrading about their former spouse (especially in front of their children).
When your child comes over to your house, are the other parent’s house rules respected? Children appreciate consistency. It is beneficial to the child if you and your former spouse have the same ground rules regarding screen time, bedtimes, dinner manners, etc. Though your first impulse may be to throw out all the rules and let your child be happy when they are over, you may be undermining your former spouse.
Restricted Contact
Withholding your children from your former spouse is another form of parental alienation. What does your agreement say regarding contact with the children? For example, many people like to have daily phone calls with their children. If the child is denied access to the other parent, it is a form of alienation.
Sending The Wrong Message
The most apparent form of alienation is when you say negative things about the other person to the child. And these statements may be indirect. For example, you don’t have to tell a child outright that their mother or father is a bad person for it to be alienating. Imagine that your child says they ate something unhealthy for dinner. Instead of telling your son or daughter that maybe that wasn’t the right thing to do, take it up with your spouse.
When in doubt, speak highly of your former spouse. If you have concerns or questions about their parenting, take it up directly with the parent rather than the child.
How Do You Identify Parental Alienation?
Accusations of parental alienation may surface during your child custody dispute. You may wonder how you identify parental alienation. Our team at Amsberry Law can help you with parental alienation issues or any other family law issue. Contact us at (210) 354-2244 to schedule a free phone consultation. For more than 25 years, we have been helping and assisting our clients, and we will do the same for you.
Attorney Russell J.G. Amsberry
Attorney Russell J.G. Amsberry founded the Amsberry Law Firm in 1995 with the goal of providing clients with exceptional, focused representation on their issues. His success as a legal advocate has been reflected in the numerous professional honors he has received, such as speaking engagements and inclusion in Scene in SA magazine’s listing of the best lawyers in San Antonio, a Distinguished rating from Martindale-Hubble, and an amazing rating from Avvo. [ Attorney Bio ]
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