Child custody battles can be stressful, especially if one parent tries to gain a wrongful advantage over the other. This might include making false allegations of abuse, harmful lifestyle choices, and more. One particularly concerning tactic is parental alienation.
Parental alienation happens when one parent takes steps to turn the child against the other parent. A child in this situation might state they do not want to live with the disparaged parent and may only favor the alienating parent. It is important to identify when this might be happening – both for your custody rights and because parental alienation can be emotionally harmful to a child.
Some signs of possible parental alienation include:
- Your child knows details of your divorce or breakup from the other parent
- Your child accuses you of false abuse or wrongdoing
- The other parent bad-mouths you in front of your child
- The other parent lays all the blame for the breakup on you
- Your child begins showing anger toward you for no reason
- Your child seems guilty or upset when you are together
- Your child wants to stay with their other parent and regularly cancels plans with you
If your spouse is telling your child lies and other information to manipulate them – and the court – it is a matter to discuss with your lawyer. California courts take parental alienation very seriously and want to address the matter right away in custody cases.
Contact Our California Child Custody Lawyer
At Furubotten Law, APC, we represent parents who are fighting for their child custody rights. We handle complex custody cases, and we can stand up for the interests of you and your children. Contact us online to set up an appointment with our legal team. We have offices in Murrieta, Manhattan Beach, Long Beach, and Huntington Beach to best serve our clients.