Family law courts all over the nation have ruled that, barring extraordinary circumstances, children do best when raised with input from and relationships with both parents. However, that can become impossible when one parent tries to alienate their co-parent from the kids.
Read on to learn how parental alienation occurs and how it could affect your co-parenting rights.
Understanding the nature of parental alienation
The term “parental alienation” refers to the strategies employed by one parent to turn the children against their other parent. This type of alienation is akin to programming or brainwashing — it is not ordinary “bad-mouthing” or casual grousing to the kids about their other parent. It is designed to totally fracture the parent-child relationship.
The ages of the children determine the different strategies the alienating parent must use to accomplish their goal. For instance, a dad might fill pre-schoolers up on candy and treats, saying, “Let’s eat all the food mommy won’t buy!” For an older tween or teen, a mother might stage a crying spell that’s “discovered” by the child as the mother wails, “Why did he have to leave his family?” The goal is to portray the targeted parent as the “bad” parent and make the children see them as responsible for all the family’s troubles.
Parental alienation creates a false narrative
The younger the child, the more plastic their brains and memories are. It’s easy to create a storyline that deviates wildly from reality because parents control the flow of information that their children receive.
This is both directly harmful to kids by impeding their parental relationships and indirectly harmful for making them question the veracity of their lived experiences.
Courts penalize parents for alienation
Parents may think they will gain a temporary win at the expense of manipulating their children’s minds. In reality, courts crack down on parents who try to alienate their kids’ affection for their other parent.
Practicing parental alienation can bring about adverse custody decisions for the alienating parent. Learning more about your rights and parental responsibilities can improve the outcome of your custody case.