Parental alienation is a serious pattern of behavior where one parent alienates the child against the other parent; however, there are circumstances where children may appear to be alienated when that’s not the case. For instance, if a child witnesses one parent abusing the other physically, sexually, or emotionally, then that child is going to withdraw from the abusing parent.

Also, there’s the concept of alignment that occurs. We always heard about daddy’s little girl and mommy’s little boy, but as children grow that switches to the same sex parent. Daddy’s little girl becomes mommy’s daughter and mommy’s little boy becomes daddy’s young man. That alignment is natural.

Also, there’s a concept called brittle, or rigid, parenting. We see this at times, when parents are just too rigid and too brittle or too angry with their kids, they step back. Not all the time are you going to see a pattern of behavior from children which may look as if they’re alienated but, in fact, they’re not. You have to look very carefully at what’s going on and the circumstances of the case before you leap to the conclusion of alienation.

Board Certified Marital and Family Law Attorney Charles D. Jamieson understands that divorce is an extremely sensitive and important issue. Thanks to extensive experience and a focus on open communication, Attorney Jamieson adeptly addresses the complex issues surrounding divorce while delivering excellent personal service. To discuss the options for marital dissolution, please contact The Law Firm of Charles D. Jamieson, P.A. online or call 561-478-0312.