Debunking Common Myths About Parental Alienation
Parental alienation arises when a parent manipulates their child to reject the other parent. Parental alienation can take many forms, but all forms of alienation are meant to undermine the child’s relationship with the targeted parent. Usually, a parent alienates their child from their other parent to gain the child’s loyalty and isolate the targeted parent from the child’s life. Parental alienation remains a complex topic surrounded by many myths and misconceptions. Dispelling these myths can help foster a better understanding of this issue. In this article, we debunk some common myths about parental alienation.
Myth #1: Parental Alienation Only Happens in High-Conflict Family Law Cases
While parental alienation may be more common in high-conflict family law cases, it can occur in any case, even those that seem amicable. For example, parental alienation can happen in a divorce or timesharing case that appears amicable. Parental alienation is about a parent’s behavior. It is not about the level of conflict between the parents. Additionally, even if the overall conflict between the parents is not high, the impact of alienation can be profound.
Myth #2: Parental Alienation Is Always Obvious
Parental alienation is not always easily recognizable. In fact, in many cases, parental alienation manifests in subtle ways, making it difficult to detect. It can involve tactics like undermining the other parent’s authority, making offhand negative comments about the targeted parent in the child’s presence, and emotionally manipulating the child.
Myth #3: Children Always Know When They Are Being Manipulated
Children, especially younger ones, may not know when their parents are manipulating them and trying to alienate them from their other parents. Children may believe the negative things they hear from their parents about their other parents. They may easily believe their parents’ behavior without questioning them.
Myth #4: Only Mothers Engage in Parental Alienation
Both mothers and fathers can engage in parental alienation. This harmful behavior is not gender-specific. A party engages in parental alienation because they want to control or influence the relationship between their child and the other parent.
Myth #5: Parental Alienation is a One-Time Event
Parental alienation is not a one-time event. Instead, it is an ongoing process in which the alienating parent persistently tries to interfere with the relationship between their child and their other parent. Parental alienation involves repeated negative comments about the other parent, repeated emotional manipulation, repeated interference with visitation schedules, repeated guilt-tripping, and repeated undermining of authority, among many other tactics. Parental alienation can persist over months or even years.
Myth #6: Parental Alienation Only Has Short-Term Effects
This is one of the most harmful myths about parental alienation. Parental alienation can have long-term and profound emotional and psychological effects on a child. Children who experience parental alienation can develop persistent depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. A child who is separated from their parent may experience lasting feelings of mistrust and abandonment. Additionally, parental alienation can lead to a child having trouble forming meaningful relationships in the future.
Contact an Orlando Family Law Attorney
If you are dealing with a family law case and feel your child is being alienated from you, it is important that you work with a skilled lawyer. Our Orlando family law attorneys at the Arwani Law Firm are ready to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
