Even under ideal circumstances, it can be challenging to make a co-parenting relationship work. After all, when you are not with your kids, you depend on your former spouse to parent them responsibly. You do not expect him or her to try to sabotage you, though.
According to Psychology Today, parental alienation is a serious type of psychological child abuse that occurs when one parent undermines the good relationship the other parent has with his or her children. Fortunately, if you are a victim of parental alienation, you have some options for stopping it.
Talk to your co-parent
If your family is experiencing parental alienation, you might rightfully feel angry. Your co-parent might not realize he or she is hurting you or your children, however. That is, sometimes parental alienation is unintentional. If you think your spouse might be acting inadvertently, it may be beneficial to have a conversation with him or her.
Go to mediation
If you are having trouble getting through to your co-parent, it may be time to go to family mediation. A third-party mediator can help you communicate in a productive way. He or she even may have some suggestions for ending parental alienation. Simply put, if your ex-spouse will not listen to you, perhaps he or she will listen to a mediator.
Take legal action
Taking legal action is often the fastest and most effective way to stop parental alienation. Remember, judges make custody-related determinations according to what is in the best interests of the kids. Because parental alienation is not good for any youngster, a judge might use evidence of parental alienation to rework your custody arrangement.
Ultimately, regardless of how you choose to address parental alienation, it is critical not to let it go on for any longer.