It may surprise you to learn that a recent study by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers reveals that fathers are more likely to be victims of parental alienation. What is parental alienation and what are some of the signs you should watch for when co-parenting during and after your divorce?
Parental alienation is the intentional disruption of the relationship between a child and one of their parents. Our Family Court is very aware of the increasing trend of these cases and the damage of parental alienation upon the best interests of a child. The psychological damage for children associated with these cases carries long-lasting ramifications.
Unfortunately, fathers are more likely to be victims of parental alienation as the mother of the child works to poison the relationship between parent and child. One of the most common signs of potential parental alienation is exclusion from important events in the child’s life. Does your daughter or son attempt to influence you not to attend important events such as a parent-teacher conference or an athletic event? It is important for you each parent to have consistent, ongoing and open access to each child and to participate in their life as much as possible.
Another sign of potential parental alienation is removal of a parent from emergency contact lists at school, day care, physician’s offices and in extra-curricular events. Make sure your name is always listed as an emergency contact in any context where your child is concerned.
Fathers are more likely to be the victims of parental alienation if the mother of your child(ren) is constantly inventing reasons to interrupt scheduled visitation. Every co-parent must accept the occasional missed visit due to illness or an extremely odd circumstance. However, any pattern of interrupted parenting time (especially if the reason is the child supposedly doesn’t want to) should be cause for concern and ultimately action.
Any parent who is concerned about the signs of parental alienation should contact the experienced, proven divorce and family law attorneys at Dodd & Dodd. It is absolutely possible to not only put an immediate stop to interrupted parental visitation and scheduling issues, it is possible to bring experts into the situation to help the Court to determine the presence of parental alienation and to help the child(ren) and victimized parent.
We invite you to review the strong recommendations of our former clients and contact us or call 502-584-1108 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced divorce and family law attorneys.
