Child custody matters can get incredibly contentious and challenging. Unfortunately, when an issue hits so close to home, it can bring out the worst in a person, and your co-parent may try to alienate the children from you in an effort to harm your relationship with them or just to get back at you. If your former spouse/partner is engaging in this type of behavior to sabotage the relationship your children have with you, this is an issue you can potentially raise in family court.
What is Parental Alienation?
When your co-parent interferes with your visitation rights by suggesting to the children that you do not care, are responsible for the divorce/separation, or abandoned them, this may be parental alienation. Moreover, parental alienation can range in severity. Your children can likely disregard the occasional crude remark about you, but if your ex goes on a relentless campaign against you, it can inflict some serious damage on your relationship with your children. That said, it can be challenging to prove parental alienation in a child custody dispute, so it is crucial to hire an experienced attorney and document the situation as much as you can.
Here are some tips that can help you fight parental alienation:
- Ask to see your children in writing: If your co-parent is not in compliance with the child custody order and tries to prevent you from spending time with the children, you need to start communicating via email or text message to have all of your correspondence in writing. Even better use a communication service such as Talking Parents or Our Family Wizard. Keeping communications in writing will help you decrease the “ he-said-she-said” situations in court.
- Maintain a journal: Maintain a journal to detail any incidents of parental alienation, including dates and times. These details, along with your correspondences, can paint a very vivid picture in court.
- Consider obtaining professional help: A therapist can potentially help your situation and, if your efforts fail, it can still provide additional support for your child custody case. Showing that you took the steps to work on resolving your co-parenting issues can help you in court.
Parental alienation can be damaging and painful for children and their parents. Seek the guidance of a knowledgeable family law attorney to protect your parental rights.
Schedule a Consultation to Discuss the Details of Your Child Custody Case Today!
If you are in the middle of a child custody dispute, you need to hire an experienced child custody attorney to represent your case. At The Law Offices of Andrea Schneider, our child custody attorney will provide the compassionate legal support and skilled advice you need to overcome the obstacles you are facing.
Call our law office today at (619) 518-0476 to set up an initial FREE consultation regarding your child custody agreement and learn how we can help you create a very specific agreement for your family's needs.