Unfortunately, parental alienation is something that occurs in some particularly nasty divorces. Some parents may believe that they’re getting back at an estranged spouse by driving a wedge between that spouse and their children. In fact, the children may be irreparably damaged.
Parental alienation can include telling children things that simply aren’t true about a parent. Often a parent does this to make the children believe one parent doesn’t care or is a bad person. Also, one parent make take deliberate steps to keep the other parent away from the children. As an example, he or she may throw away written communications and prevent other types of communication while telling the children you haven’t tried to communicate them.
Parental alienation usually involves more than saying negative things about the children’s parent. And also more than making them feel guilty for wanting to spend time with the other parent. Ultimately, the goal is to make the children themselves decide that they don’t want to see the other parent.
Stop Parental Alienation in Its Tracks
Parents who believe that parental alienation is being used against them should not let this stop them. They need to take every opportunity possible to communicate with and see their children. If a parent has been granted any custody or visitation rights, that parent should be allowed to use them.
If you believe you’re the victim of parental alienation, you may want to take legal recourse. Let your attorney know about the situation. Then, they will probably advise you to keep a record of any instance where your ex has denied you access to your children, whether in person or by phone or other means. The more documentation you have, the stronger your case will be. The sooner you resolve the issue, the sooner you can begin to mend your relationship with your children.
Source: The Good Men Project, “8 Ways To Help You And Your Child Combat Parental Alienation,” accessed Nov. 17, 2016