In North Carolina, both parents have custodial rights and are entitled to have a relationship with their child free of interference from the other parent. In some cases, one parent will try to sabotage the child’s relationship with their other parent by badmouthing them to the children. If your child is being alienated from you by the other parent, you can take legal action to stop it.
Why parental alienation occurs
The first thing that you need to do is understand the root cause of parental alienation because you will eventually need to make effort to undo the damage. The typical profile of an alienating parent is that of an angry and needy person who has a deep desire for revenge. The children are vulnerable to this because they depend on the alienating parent. In turn, they are fed a steady stream of misinformation that satisfies the alienating parent’s desire to feel like they are doing something to harm the other parent.
Can the effects of parental alienation be reversed?
When left unchecked, parental alienation can cause a long-term rupture in a child’s relationship with a parent. It takes some effort to break the symbiotic relationship between the children and the alienating parent. Sometimes, this can require intensive therapy and years of effort. Parental alienation has negative effects on the children both now and in the future. It is not in the best interests of the children in any way, which is why courts react negatively when it occurs.
If your co-parent is doing this to your children, it may be critically important that you act quickly. Most times, the alienating parent will not react well when you ask them to stop. Thus, it may be necessary for you to go to court to bring the matter to a judge’s attention. If you need to do this, a family law attorney may help. To put it mildly, the court does not approve of this behavior, and a judge might take measures as strong as removing the children from the alienating parent’s custody.