What Is Parental Alienation, and How Does it Affect Divorce Cases?

 Posted on April 05, 2018 in Divorce

Children deserve to have a good relationship with both their parents, but this can sometimes be difficult after parents decide to divorce. Children often struggle to understand the reason for the end of their parents’ marriage, and they can have difficulty adjusting to dividing their time between two homes. Unfortunately, the emotional distress they experience is sometimes made even worse when one parent attempts to negatively influence their children’s relationship with their other parent. This is known as parental alienation, and it is important for divorcing parents to recognize when it is occurring and understand their legal options.

Forms of Parental Alienation

Parental alienation occurs whenever a parent attempts to influence their children’s feelings about the other parent, and it can take a variety of forms, including:

• Criticizing the other parent, including making disparaging comments, blaming them for the breakup of the marriage, claiming that they are the cause of financial difficulties, or questioning or overriding their decisions about discipline.
• Listening in on children’s communication with the other parent, including phone calls or text messages.
• Asking children questions about the other parent’s activities, the state of their home, or their relationship with a new partner.
• Refusing to accommodate requests regarding changes to parenting time schedules or interfering with the other parent’s parenting time.
• Discussing details of the divorce with children or sharing inappropriate information with them.
• Refusing to share information with the other parent about children’s medical care, education, or activities.
• Asking children to choose one parent over the other, including which parent they will spend time with or who will participate in activities with them.

Parental alienation can cause children a great deal of emotional distress and long-term harm, and it can negatively affect children’s relationship with both parents. In addition to the damage it can cause to children, it may also result in legal consequences. If one parent interferes with the other parent’s parenting time or refuses to allow access to children, the interfering parent may face restrictions to their own parental responsibility or parenting time.

Contact a Rolling Meadows Divorce Lawyer

You and your children deserve to have a good relationship during and after your divorce. If you suspect that your ex-spouse is attempting to alienate your children against you, or if they are interfering with your relationship with your children, the attorneys of A. Traub & Associates can help you understand your legal options and work to protect your parental rights. Contact our Schaumburg divorce attorneys today by calling 630-426-0196 to arrange an initial consultation.

Sources:

http://www.divorceandchildren.com/parent-alienation-and-divorce/

https://goodmenproject.com/divorce/9-warning-signs-parental-alienation-cmtt/

http://www.divorcemag.com/blog/how-to-recognize-parental-alienation