After a divorce, children typically benefit when allowed to maintain strong relationships with both parents. In many situations, Mississippi parents find it best for the mental and emotional health of their children to share child custody and split parenting responsibilities. When one parent chooses to act in certain ways, it can cause parental alienation. This harms the parent-child relationship, and it can make custody much more difficult.
What is it?
Parental alienation occurs when one parent makes deliberate attempts to harm their child’s relationship with the other parent. Children are easily influenced, and these actions can eventually change the child’s perception of and feelings for his or her parent. Some actions that can cause parental alienation include:
- Allowing or encouraging the child to speak badly about the other parent
- One parent disparaging the other in front of the children
- Refusal to cooperate with the terms of a child custody order
- Excluding the other parent from important events in the life of the child
- Infringing on the other parent’s time with excessive phone calls or texts to the child
- Refusal to allow the child to communicate with the other parent when he or she is not with them
Parental alienation can lead to long-term damage to a parent-child relationship. One parent may be motivated to act this way due to his or her own unresolved feelings toward a former spouse.
Fighting back
A Mississippi parent has the right to protect the relationship with his or her children. If there is suspicion of parental alienation, there are certain steps one can take to fight back. It may be helpful to first discuss these concerns with an experienced child custody attorney.
