You might think that a child custody case should be straightforward with each parent presenting what they think is best for their child and the court deciding what sort of custody arrangement should be ordered. But the truth is that a lot of these cases wind up being about untangling falsehoods and misconstrued facts about parenting abilities. This can be especially true when parental alienation is in play, which is where one parent manipulates the child to try to distance them from their other parent.
Although parental alienation can threaten to disrupt your relationship and time with your child, there are ways to protect yourself and your kid. These include doing the following:
- Keeping detailed notes of your interactions with the other parent and your child.
- Securing witness testimony that can demonstrate the bond you have with your child and how the other parent has tried to unfairly paint you in a negative light.
- Attacking the credibility and thus the reliability of the other parent’s witness testimony.
- Requesting that the child, the other parent or both undergo a mental health examination.
- Asking for a child custody evaluation.
- Gathering relevant documentation that speaks to your ability to care for your child.
- Anticipating what claims the other parent will make so that you can prepare to effectively counter them.
Don’t let parental alienation ruin your relationship with your child
There’s a lot at stake when parental alienation is in play in your child custody case. If you don’t know how to get a handle on the situation, then you could wind up facing a situation that’s harmful to your child and your relationship with them. That’s why now is the time to think through your child custody case and how to make the arguments that protects your child’s best interests.