During the divorce process, a couple looking to end their marriage is usually not at their best. A complex and lengthy legal process clashes with longstanding, emotionally-charged issues. Far too many times, deep-seated resentment sets in. Far too often, one parent...
Parental Alienation
Parental alienation destroys relationships
It may be snide comments, interference, lies about their ex or more insidious behavior that a parent in Michigan uses to try to turn their child against their ex. Parental alienation can take place when one parent tries to prejudice their child against their ex....
Parental alienation guidebook for lawyers and judges on its way
There are signs of a growing awareness in both the legal system and the mental health community of parental alienation, a disturbing divorce phenomenon in which one parent turns a child against the other parent.Not only did the World Health Organization recently...
Long-term effects of parental alienation on the child
As regular readers of our Ann Arbor legal blog know, parental alienation is sometimes a part of high-conflict child custody disputes. A recent Psych Central column by Sharie Stines, Psy.D on the painful phenomenon looked at the long-term effects on the child who has...
Parental alienation: diving into a decision
When their parents divorced, the three daughters, ages 7, 13 and 15, spent two days a week with one and the remaining five days with the other. The following week, the time allotments for the parents were switched. The parents had joint legal custody, according to the...
Judge saves Pitt from parental alienation
When celebrities are at their peak of fame, we live vicariously through them. When their lives take a turn for the worse, however, it's easy to separate ourselves from the celebrity and rejoice in the proof that no one can be that perfect.For over a decade, much of...
What you need to know about parental gatekeeping
Parental gatekeeping is a necessary strategy to protect children from parents suffering from alcohol or drug above or committing violent or neglectful acts. In those scenarios, the other parents have the right to restrict contact.Another more sinister definition of...
Parental alienation through badmouthing
In their post-divorce lives, mothers and fathers may not be at their best. The simplest of misunderstandings can become blown out of proportion. However, many ex-spouses outright sabotage the relationship the other enjoys with the children.In their book, "Working With...
Denial of Parenting Time During Holidays?
A common strategy employed by the alienating parent is to limit contact between the target parent and the child. Holidays - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Birthdays - are special times. They not only rekindle past memories of times enjoyed by the parent and the...
Parental Alienation: What Can (and Should) the Courts Do?
Parental alienation can have devastating consequences. More and more courts around the country and internationally are condemning alienating behaviors and taking action to remedy the matters. In part 2 of my 2-part article on parental alienation, I discuss what can...