How Can I Fight Against Parental Alienation?

Parental alienation is when a child rejects or resists contact with one parent while remaining aligned with the other. This often occurs when one parent denies the other parent access to the child or manipulates the child against the other parent. Parental alienation is unfortunately common in divorce. Psychologists Barbara Fidler and Nicholas Bala, discovered in their research that parental alienation affects 11-15% of divorcing families.

If you are being alienated from your child, here are some tips to combat and indicate parental alienation to the court.

Remain Persistent

When your ex denies your right to see your child, especially when your communication efforts are being blocked, it can be demoralizing. It may seem pointless when you keep getting rejected, but it is important to remain in your child’s life.

Journal

Keeping a journal may help you and your lawyer prove parental alienation in court. Write down the dates, situations, and excuses that the other parent used to block your access to the child. This written record could be helpful to prove that you tried to see your child, and when you made attempts.

Request to See Your Child in Writing

If you are trying to prove parental alienation, request to see your child via text or email. This written form of communication is tangible evidence that could demonstrate to the court you attempted to see your child.

With documented evidence, you might avoid a he-said/she-said situation. Texts and emails could help document dubious excuses or outright denials.

Parental alienation may be devastating for parents and children to experience. Contact a divorce attorney to set out a clear plan for preserving your rights as a parent and mend the poisoned relationship with your child.