Did you know that there is an actual day that raises awareness about parental alienation? April 25th is a time to reflect on how you and your co-parent are influencing your children’s well-being.
Parental alienation is a fairly common result of a nasty divorce and can have unfortunate consequences, impacting your children’s lives for many years to come.
During and after a divorce, conflicts that arise may tempt you to vent to your children to your children about the wrong doings of your co-parent. You may expect your children to share the same feelings of anger towards your co-parent as you do. Both are considered alienating your child’s relationship with your co-parent.
The result can be devastating for both the “target” parent and for your children. There are several forms of parental alienation and each one has their own set of complex behaviors.
You may even feel justified in your behavior. While venting or speaking negatively about your co-parent might be easy to justify, your children are often caught in the middle of the turmoil and will end up feeling confused.
When co-parent disagreements manifest into something serious, it can actually damage your children’s emotional development. Here are just a few ways that alienation can hinder your children:
- They might struggle socially as they learn how to manipulate their parents. You are their role model, and this negative behavior can potentially rub off on them.
- They may take the negative comments personally since they view their parents as a part of their “self.”
- They might be confused about the way their parents are interacting with each other.
- They might feel required to take on the feelings of the parent doing the alienating and take part in the negative talk.
- They might suffer by having a negative relationship with the “target” parent.
So when April 25th rolls around, consider the relationship that you have with your co-parent and your children. Take the time to evaluate your behavior and make necessary changes to ensure that your family is not suffering the consequences of parental alienation. To read more about parental alienation and its consequences, check out The Child Centered Divorce Blog today.
Crystal Lambert-Schroeder is a family attorney in Vancouver WA who is passionate about helping families achieve balance after their divorce. For more information about her, click here.