What is Parental Alienation?
Parental alienation is when of one parent vilifies the other parent and/or their family members to their children. This is not a new concept. It is a very unhealthy, but common occurrence in cases in which the parties don't agree about custody and parenting time. However, in recent years the court system in Minnesota and psychological professionals throughout the United States have taken huge steps to address what is commonly called "parental alienation".
Parental alienation goes beyond simply saying bad things about a parent to the child. Alienation occurs when one parent uses constant and relentless tactics such as allegations of abuse, child protection reports, making children feel guilty about loving or having fun with their other parent, telling children that the other parent is the cause of the family problems, etc. to drive a wedge between the alienated parent and the child. The goal of the alienating parent is usually to convince the child that their other parent is such a terrible human being that the child is better off not having any contact with them.
Protecting the Parent/Child Relationship
Unfortunately, children often take the side of the alienating parent, either because they believe the stories they are being told or because they know that they will have to suffer the consequences of having a relationship with the alienated parent. Either way, parental alienation is a devastating and psychologically damaging practice that will impact both the child and the alienated parent for life. Our lawyers have successfully tried parental alienation cases and have been instrumental in re-establishing parent/child relationships and/or modifying custody based on parental alienation.
Call Kelsey Law Office at 763-689-8931, or setup a no-cost consultation.