Is parental alienation threatening your relationship with your kid?

Child custody is oftentimes the most important legal issue facing divorcing couples. While some parents are fortunate enough to be able to develop a custody and visitation plan that they agree is in the best interests of their child, there are a lot of situations where this simply isn’t possible. Those who fall into the latter category can find themselves making and receiving allegations of parental wrongdoing, all in hopes of achieving the child custody outcome each side thinks is best. This means that you need to know how to support your position and present it to the judge. This includes showing evidence of substance abuse, domestic violence, and even parental alienation.

What is parental alienation?

Parental alienation is an issue that is seen in a lot of custody cases but isn’t understood very well. Parental alienation occurs when one parent uses certain strategies in an attempt to create distance or even an acrimonious relationship between the child and his or her other parent. In many parental alienation cases, the alienating parent makes accusations against the other parent to achieve the desired outcome. These allegations can even be quite severe, including those pertaining to domestic violence and sexual abuse.

There are a lot of signs of parental alienation, too. Sometimes the child criticizes the alienated parent without specific evidence. An alienated child might also have unwavering support for the alienation, and he or she oftentimes doesn’t feel guilty about mistreating the alienating parent. The child might also exhibit negative feeling toward family members of the alienated parent. There are other symptoms that you should be aware of that can be found here.

Proving alienation

Parental alienation has yet to gain strong traction in the field of psychology and mental health, but it certainly is receiving more recognition. So proving alienation can still be a huge help to your child custody case. To successfully prove it, though, you’ll need close attention to detail, compelling documentary evidence, and testimony that can show how your child’s best interests are being jeopardized. Fortunately, an attorney who is adept at handling child custody matters might be able to help you build the case you need to protect your child.