How to Recognize the Signs of Parental Alienation During Your Divorce

 Posted on November 16, 2020 in Divorce

Getting through the divorce process can be difficult, even in the best of situations. Unfortunately, divorces have the potential to turn ugly, and disagreements between spouses can become contentious legal battles. This can be especially true when a couple has children, and parents can sometimes take extreme steps to try to gain an advantage in child custody disputes. Parental alienation, in which one parent tries to negatively influence his or her children’s attitudes toward the other, can be especially problematic. A divorcing parent should be sure to understand the signs that his or her former partner is taking these types of improper actions.

Recognizing Parental Alienation

In some cases, parental alienation may involve one parent having a negative attitude toward the other, and their children may pick up on these feelings and begin to mimic them. This type of behavior should be avoided, and a parent should try to make sure their children can maintain a good relationship with the other parent. However, in some cases, parental alienation can be more insidious or overt. A spouse may actively attempt to harm his or her children’s relationship with the other parent in hopes of influencing decisions about child custody by convincing children that they do not want to spend time with one parent.

Some signs that your ex may be committing parental alienation include:

• Your children have a negative attitude toward you without being able to give rational reasons for feeling this way.

• Your children regularly challenge your authority or criticize you unfairly. When doing so, they may use adult terms without understanding what these words mean.

• Your children seem to have only positive feelings toward your ex and negative feelings toward you.

• In addition to acting negatively toward you, your children are hostile toward your extended family members.

• Your children request that you do not attend activities such as performances or sports games.

• You are no longer listed as a contact at your children’s school or daycare or asked to attend parent/teacher conferences.

Parental alienation is known to cause emotional harm to children, and if a parent is acting in this way, this should be brought to the court’s attention. Decisions about child custody and parenting time may take this behavior into account, and an alienating parent may face consequences, such as restrictions on the time they spend with their children or requirements to take classes on appropriate parenting methods.

Contact Our Novi, MI Child Custody Attorneys

If you are worried about parental alienation after your Michigan divorce, you should take immediate legal action to prevent this type of behavior. At Elkouri Heath, PLC, we will help you gather the necessary evidence to show that your spouse has taken improper actions, and we will advocate for your children’s best interests when addressing child custody issues. Contact our Farmington Hills divorce lawyers at 248-344-9700 to arrange a free consultation today.

Sources:

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

https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/family/kids-parenting/parental-alienation