Parental alienation in the time of Coronavirus and COVID 19

Parental alienation in the time of Coronavirus and COVID 19

You have children. You are separated or divorced. The children live with your ex spouse but you see them pretty regularly…at least you did until Coronavirus and Covid 19! It seems that since the pandemic started your ex spouse is doing all he or she can to keep the children from you. Your ex is simply not being reasonable. He or she is throwing up roadblock after roadblock and you are becoming very frustrated. You understand the need to protect the health of your child. But you do not think it is right that your time with your children is being so severely restricted. Is this a true case of parental alienation or just an interference in your access or visitation rights during the time of coronavirus and covid 19?

“Parental alienation” has a very specific meaning in family law. It is more than simply interfering with access or visitation. Parental alienation involves the “programming” of a child by one parent which is intended to denigrate the “target parent”. This is done in an effort to undermine the child’s relationship with the target parent. Some would say there is an element of brainwashing to it.

Psychiatrist Richard Gardner developed the concept of “parental alienation syndrome” 20 years ago, defining it as:

“…a disorder that arises primarily in the context of child custody disputes. Its primary manifestation is the campaign of denigration against a parent, a campaign that has no justification. It results from the combination of a programming (brainwashing) of the child, the parent’s indoctrinations and the child’s own contributions to the vilification of the target parent.”

So, one can now see that in order to convince a court that “parental alienation” is going on, there must be, amongst other things, a “campaign of denigration” against the target parent. A mere denial of access will not qualify. This is likely particularly true during this time of coronavirus and covid 19 since both parents would likely be nervous, on-edge and over-protective.

If parental alienation is truly taking place, then you need the immediate assistance of a Toronto Family Lawyer or a Toronto Divorce Lawyer in order to ensure that your right to see your children (and the rights of the children to see you) are safeguarded. However, even if parental alienation is not what’s happening, even if you are only experiencing an interference with your access or visitation rights, you should still consult with a Toronto Family Lawyer or a Toronto Divorce Lawyer as soon as possible. In order to see if and how the coronavirus and covid 19 affect your access rights, please click https://www.amglaw.ca/how-will-coronavirus-and-covid-19-affect-my-access-rights/

What children of divorce most want and need is to maintain healthy and strong relationships with both of their parents, and to be shielded from their parents’ conflict. Unfortunately, some parents place an expectation on children to choose sides. In more extreme situations, children can be manipulated by one parent to hate the other parent. Does this sound familiar? Is this happening to you? If so, parental alienation may be taking place. It is important to deal with this without delay. In other less serious situations, one parent may be taking steps to interfere with the other parents’ time with the children. You may find this happening within increasing frequency during this time of coronavirus and covid 19.

If any of this sounds familiar, then please do not hesitate to contact us a 416-519-5552 or at info@amglaw.ca and one of our lawyers will get back to you immediately.