Los Angeles Parental Alienation Lawyer

Parental alienation is typically done by one of the parents. It is the act of turning the child against the other parent using overt or subtle manipulation tactics, depending on the situation. One parent may say things to their child that make them dislike or even fear their other parent. They may try to buy their child’s loyalty with presents or try to undermine the other parent’s authority. They may even tell lies about the other parent in an effort to completely sway the child’s opinion.

When it comes to a contested divorce involving children, the judge presiding over your case really only has one primary goal in mind. They must act in accordance with your child’s welfare and make sure that no matter what happens between you and the other parent, the child’s stability and well-being are not jeopardized.

The courts are more likely to grant primary custody to the parent who is most likely to provide continued stability and love, as well as nurture the child’s relationship with the other parent.

Parental alienation has the potential to cause lifelong trauma to your child and severely jeopardize your relationship with them. While not considered a crime in California, engaging in acts of parental alienation can impact custody arrangements and visitation rights. If you are able to prove to the court that the other parent is alienating your child from you, the court may be able to alter the current custody arrangement.

Here are some behaviors that are considered parental alienation tactics:

• Limiting Contact: The parent attempting to alienate you from your child may try to reduce the amount of contact you have with the child. They may prevent the child from speaking to you on the phone or texting you. It is important to document this behavior as it occurs.
• Negative Messaging: One parent may send repeated negative messages to the child in which they portray you in a terrible light. They may tell the child you don’t really love them, that you don’t have time for them, that you are trying to hurt them, and more. The alienating parent may try to brush these comments off as jokes, or they may be so subtle that you don’t immediately realize how dangerous the comments are.
• Erasing You: The alienating parent may try to totally erase you from the child’s life. To accomplish this, they may try to bar you from visiting the child and remove any photos of you or keepsakes that you gave your child. They may even try to replace you with a new partner by putting up their photos in place of your own. The alienating parent may try to duplicate your daily rituals with the new replacement parent.
• Emotional Dependence: The alienating parent may refuse to provide love and support to the child unless they agree with the negative things they have been saying about you. They may make the child feel guilty for wanting to spend time with you. This can create an undue sense of responsibility in the child and cause them a great deal of emotional pain.