Counter-parenting, unlike co-parenting, is when your former spouse takes actions that undermine your relationship with your kids. This can be an extremely damaging situation and highly painful for you and your kids.
Child caught in the crossfire
Counter-parenting is about inflicting suffering on the target parent, even if it means jeopardizing the child’s well-being. In a classic scenario, your co-parent may badmouth you frequently in front of your child. This repeated activity may create an unhealthy bond between your child and your ex on a distorted, negative view of you. This process manifests in the following ways:
- Scolding the child for spending time with the other parent
- Completely blocking the child from seeing the other parent
- Applying for a protection order to keep the child away from the other parent
- Standing in the way of all communication channels between the child and the other parent
While parental alienation does not exist as a medical diagnosis, the fact remains that unfortunate emotional and behavioral problems in the child could not be more real. Furthermore, while the medical and psychological diagnosis does not exist, it is still a recognized legal issue. Any parent working to undermine and destroy the relationship of the other parent with the child appears to be working against the best interests of the child.
Long-lasting effects
If your child is already spewing false domestic violence accusations against you, you would realize that the counter-parenting has gone from bad to worse. Your parental instinct tells you to do everything in your power to make things work. Legal intervention can mean the difference between years of trauma or a lifetime of moments with your child.