As a divorced co-parent in Hawaii, cooperation is crucial. If you and your co-parent cannot remain on the same page, then you risk doing harm to your child. But unfortunately, your co-parent may want to stir the pot intentionally.
For this reason, you may want to keep your eye peeled for signs of parental alienation. This tactic can lead to a damaged parent-child relationship and the suffering of your kid.
What is parental alienation?
Healthline looks at symptoms of parental alienation, which impacts you and your child. What is parental alienation, first of all? It is a tactic in which one co-parent tries to poison a child against the other. If you are the target, your co-parent may use a number of ways to convince your child that you are “bad”. Some potential tactics include:
- Lying about your personal character
- Lying about things you have done or putting the blame of divorce entirely on you
- Claiming that you do not want to see your child
- “Accidentally” letting a child overhear adult conversations in which you are the topic
Is your child showing signs?
Signs of alienation can vary from case to case. In most, your child may show a sudden reluctance to spend time with you. They may claim that you are “bad”. But when pressed, they will likely struggle to come up with a reason as to why this is true. You may also hear them parrot back something obviously said by an adult. This is most obvious if the vocabulary or phrasing is above a child’s level of understanding.
Unfortunately, these tactics are not uncommon. Many families suffer through attempts at parental alienation every year. If left unaddressed, it can tear a family apart.
