Long Island Parental Alienation Lawyer

What Is Parental Alienation?

Has your child started to act differently toward you? Does he or she seem more withdrawn and sullen? Does your child wish to limit the amount of time he or she spends with you? If these scenarios sound familiar, parental alienation could be to blame.

Parental alienation is a situation in which one parent tries to alienate a child from his or her other parent by brainwashing the child into holding negative feelings or opinions toward that parent. Such a reaction occurs when a parent tries to manipulate his or her children's emotions, convincing them that their other parent does not love them or does not want to spend time with them. Blaming a divorce or legal separation on the other parent is also a form of parental alienation, as it may influence the child's opinion of the parent.

Parents often use parental alienation to gain control during a divorce or child custody hearing. When a child expresses his or her disinterest in spending time or maintaining a relationship with the other parent, the judge may severely limit the visitation time the other parent receives, and may even give sole custody to the parent who is not manipulating the child.

Signs of Parental Alienation

There are many signs you can look for that may indicate the other parent is brainwashing your child, such as:

• Your child is becoming more and more distant
• Your child wishes to spend less time with you
• Your child has started to blame you for the divorce or separation
• Your child seems angry at you all the time
• Your relationship with your child is becoming strained
• Some of the things that your child is saying sound too "adult" for his or her vocabulary. This may be a sign that your child is simply repeating something the other parent has said

Need help? Contact Samuelson Hause & Samuelson, LLP

If you think your child is a victim of parental alienation, an experienced Long Island family law attorney at Samuelson Hause & Samuelson, LLP can be of assistance. It's important to stop parental alienation as quickly as possible, as it can undoubtedly have a lasting negative impact on your child's future. Children deserve to have a strong and loving relationship with both parents. When one parent tries to compromise that relationship, steps should be taken to address the problem immediately. Learn more about parental alienation, as well as your rights and options under the law, by engaging in a phone consultation with a lawyer from our firm. Contact Samuelson Hause & Samuelson, LLP today.