How to Recognize Parental Alienation During Your Divorce

 Posted on December 10, 2020 in Child Custody / Allocation of Parental Responsibilities

When parents choose to get divorced, they will need to address a wide variety of legal issues related to their children, and they will need to determine how they can continue to work together as co-parents to meet their children’s needs in the years following the end of their marriage. Since divorce can be an emotional and stressful process, parents’ negative attitudes toward each other may spill over into their interactions with their children and affect children’s relationships with both parents.

When one parent attempts to negatively influence their children’s attitudes toward the other parent, this is known as parental alienation. Whether it is done intentionally in hopes of gaining an advantage in decisions about child custody or is a by-product of a parent’s emotional difficulties during the divorce process, parental alienation should be addressed promptly to ensure that it does not cause harm to the children or affect the other parent’s parental rights.

Signs of Parental Alienation

Parental alienation can take a variety of forms. It can involve overt comments by a parent about their former partner to their children, such as blaming them for the divorce or claiming that they do not love their children or want to spend time with them. In many cases, parental alienation is more subtle, consisting of activities such as removing a parent as a contact at children’s schools or scheduling activities that the children would enjoy during the other parent’s parenting time.

Since parental alienation can cause a great deal of emotional harm to children, parents will want to be on the lookout for signs that their former partner is acting in this manner. Some signs of parental alienation include:

• Children not wanting to spend time with one parent or being reluctant to leave a parent’s home.

• Children having negative feelings toward one parent without being able to provide explanations or justifications for their beliefs.

• A parent constantly calling or contacting children during the other parent’s parenting time, asking to speak to children at inappropriate times or for long amounts of time, or monitoring or controlling children’s communication with the other parent.

• A parent asking a child to keep secrets from the other parent or convey messages between parents.

• A parent making a child feel as if they have to choose between the parents.

• A parent discussing inappropriate details about the couple’s breakup or asking children about the other parent’s relationships or activities.

• A parent refusing to follow child custody arrangements put in place during the divorce process, such as by failing to drop children off at the other parent’s home at the required times. 

Contact Our Naperville Child Custody Lawyers

If you are concerned about parental alienation during your divorce, the attorneys of Calabrese Associates, P.C. can help you take steps to protect your parental rights. We will work with you to gather evidence of inappropriate behavior by your former partner and bring these matters to the court’s attention, and we will advocate for your children’s best interests when addressing issues related to child custody. Contact our DuPage County divorce attorneys today at 630-393-3111.

Sources:

https://www.healthline.com/health/childrens-health/parental-alienation-syndrome

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-automatic/202002/parental-alienation-how-and-when-does-it-start

https://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/102708p26.shtml