If the other parent is accusing you of abusing the child, or planting ideas in the child's mind that actions of you are abusive, address these allegations immediately and seek professional help for your child. Required fields are marked *. Also include a log of the time you spend with your child, including tickets to special outings, to show that your ex-spouse is falsely characterizing you. The parent will alienate the child from the other parent, leaving the other parent to resort to court intervention. Firms, not currently recognized as a mental disorder. Rather, the syndrome describes a type of behavior at issue in some court cases and has lead proponents to call for further study and research. Four criteria must be met for this behavior to qualify as malicious parent syndrome: First, the offending parent must be seeking to hurt or punish the victim parent by alienating them from their child. Many of the behaviors associated with malicious parent syndrome can have legal consequences and may constitute civil and criminal law violations. While most children who get mad and say hurtful things to their parents will feel sorry and apologize later, children with parental alienation feel no guilt about their . How do you prove malicious parent syndrome? For example, perhaps mom tells her child that their dad doesn't love them or want to see . For example, keep a diary of anything that happens involving your child, including conversations or incidents with the other parent. If Youve Been the Victim of a Malicious Parent. Some actions related to malicious parent syndrome can be easily understood as criminal acts, such asattacking the other parentor damaging their property. A malicious parent may alsosuccessfully manipulate a child, resulting in them disliking and wanting to spend less time with the other parent. But proving parental alienation is difficult because you are often having to prove . Though most commonly called malicious mother syndrome, both mothers and fathers can be capable of such actions. It is therefore vital that you consistently prove to them that you are the opposite. Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. Contact our Georgia attorneys today to find out how we can help. In extreme cases of parental manipulation of children, a label of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) might be appropriate. In this blog post, well discuss how this type of behavior can impact children, and provide options for recourse for parents dealing with it during the divorce or child custody process. If the other parent violates a custody or visitation order, contact your attorney and the court immediately. Depriving children of food or money, in order to make the other parent look bad, could constitute a form of child abuse, which can violate both family and criminal laws. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. This article was written by Jennifer Mueller, JD. In their parenting plan, they included a clause that states that neither party shall speak ill of the other parent in front of the minor children nor will they seek to diminish the childrens love for the other parent. % of people told us that this article helped them. "I have joint custody with my ex, but I'm the primary caregiver. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 301,174 times. FindLaw.com Free, trusted legal information for consumers and legal professionals, SuperLawyers.com Directory of U.S. attorneys with the exclusive Super Lawyers rating, Abogado.com The #1 Spanish-language legal website for consumers, LawInfo.com Nationwide attorney directory and legal consumer resources. While courts expect parenting plans to be flexible and take into account the needs of the parents and the children, one parent continually attempting to alter the court-ordered plan may be alienating behavior and should be discouraged. Be wary of secrets your child has with the other parent, including code words or signals. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/9e\/Write-a-Creative-Diary-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Write-a-Creative-Diary-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/9e\/Write-a-Creative-Diary-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/aid7014850-v4-728px-Write-a-Creative-Diary-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"