On behalf of Gary Kirk of Kirk Montoute Dawson LLP posted in Family Law on Monday, June 25, 2018.
Not all divorces end amicably. In fact, some are downright warlike and when kids are involved, there may be something at work called parental alienation. To put it succinctly, that is when one parent undermines the relationship of the other parent with their children. But, there are family law solutions available in Alberta and all of Canada, to try to thwart that from happening.
Parental alienation stems from a place of anger, resentment and pain according to psychologists. However, when a couple who is divorcing is able to sit down, perhaps with a moderator, and come to some sort of agreement between themselves regarding contentious issues, chances are their emotions won’t be pushed onto their children who, sadly, are usually in the middle. When parents realize they’re actually hurting their children by demeaning a former spouse in front of the children, they may rethink what they’re doing.
Experts say it is important to stop parental alienation in its tracks before it gets to the point of needing intervention from the courts. When gone on for long periods of time, this type of alienation has a hard time being reversed and children are likely to suffer incredible amounts of guilt over their feelings for the parent being alienated. Change in these cases, usually requires intervention.
An Alberta lawyer may be able to help his or her client to come to an agreement with an estranged spouse using a number of family law solutions. Lawyers may also be privy to other experts who may be able to help such as family therapists. Knowing the law and individual rights under the law may be able to diffuse a potentially harmful situation.
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