As a Nebraska parent, one of the most important things in your life is your relationship with your child. You deserve to have an active and involved role in his or her life regardless of your marital status. Unfortunately, conflict between parents can lead to issues that may eventually impact the child, including parental alienation. This is a serious matter that may affect how your child views and interacts with you, and your concerns about this are valid.
When one parent tries to harm the relationship the child has with the other, it can lead to parental alienation. There are different ways to do this, and you may not be aware that it is happening until you see changes in how your child interacts with you. You may also notice a decrease in the involvement you have in your child’s life, such as fewer invitations or notifications of important events.
Understanding the problem
Parental alienation happens when a child ends up with a significantly stronger relationship with one parent as a result of that parent’s actions. This often happens in cases where there is a significant amount of contention between parents during a divorce-related dispute. Alienation can have a deep mental and emotional impact on the child, as well as the parent. The following may help you understand this specific issue:
- Your child may not understand or have the ability to explain to you concerns about situations in which alienation may be happening.
- Just because your child is not rejecting you completely does not mean that alienation is not taking place.
- Alienating behaviors can have a long-term psychological impact on a child, and it can cause permanent damage to your relationships with him or her.
- Therapy can help with reunification and repairing the parent-child relationship, but it can only be successful if the alienating behaviors stops.
If you believe that parental alienation is taking place, you do not have to remain silent or allow additional harm to continue. It may be possible to take legal steps to make this damaging behavior stop, including possible court-mandated adherence to the terms of your custody and visitation order. When it comes to the relationship you have with your child, there is no time to lose in seeking an immediate resolution to your concerns about the harmful consequences of alienation.