You undoubtedly had some well-founded reasons for choosing to end your marriage. Even if you had a comparatively amicable divorce, your ex-spouse may not agree with your parenting style. Still, when your kids are with you, you have wide latitude to parent them as you see fit.
If your ex is trying to harm you, he or she may use the kids as pawns. That is, your former spouse may try to convince your kids not to trust you or even to dislike you. If this happens, you may need to act promptly to stop parental alienation from continuing.
Parental alienation warning signs
According to Psychology Today, any manipulative conduct that harms your parent-child relationships has the potential to constitute parental alienation. Still, when you are in the middle of it, parental alienation can be difficult to recognize.
Here are some common ways your spouse may alienate your kids:
- Asking them to keep tabs on you
- Telling them you are a bad person
- Requiring them to disobey you
- Preventing you from seeing them
Parental alienation dangers
Many pediatric psychologists consider parental alienation to be child abuse. Your kids are not the only victims of the abuse, though.
As long as the parental alienation continues, your parent-child relationships are at risk of suffering long-term damage. Consequently, you should not let your ex-spouse get away with treating you and your kids unfairly.
Oregon judges usually believe parental alienation runs counter to the best interests of children. Ultimately, if you have evidence of parental alienation, a judge may decide to modify your existing custody agreement or take other actions to protect your kids.