When the marriage is no longer tenable and both parties agree to divorce, one of the subjects the court will handle with utmost seriousness is the children’s post-divorce living arrangements.
Most often, the court will prefer an arrangement where a co-parenting plan works for both parties and serves the best interests of the child. But what if one party is undermining the co-parenting plan?
Parental alienation is a common problem
Divorce can bring out the worst in people. It is not uncommon for one party to attempt to turn the kids against the other parent. This amounts to parental alienation, and as far as the court is concerned, it is one of the worst things a parent can do during and after the divorce. But how do you tell your co-parent is alienating you from your child?
Here are two warning signs:
- Your child is unusually emotional around you. When the other parent is consistently blaming you for the divorce in front of the child or if they are repeatedly telling the child how you hate or do not care for them, then the child will likely develop a negative attitude towards you.
- The other parent is interfering with your visitation rights. When the divorce is finalized, the court might award custody to one parent as the other parent is granted visitation rights. If the custodial parent is interfering with your visitation rights, you might want to know why as this could be indicative of parental alienation.
Parental alienation hurts both the affected parent and child alike. If you face issues involving your child’s custody and parenting time, you need to act fast.