A tense relationship with your ex-spouse can be hard enough to deal with as it is, but when you begin to notice your children acting strangely around you, it may be a sign of something worse.
Parental alienation often leaves co-parents struggling to stay in touch with and communicate with their children. Learning about how it can affect you is important to know if you suspect your ex-spouse is negatively influencing your children.
Changes in communication
According to Psychology Today, your children may become withdrawn and angry around you if your co-parent tries to alienate you. Your ex-spouse lying about the cause of the divorce and what you did in the past can lead to your children not trusting you.
You may find that talking to your children is harder than before. Either they react poorly because of the alienation or they shy away from visiting you, which can harm your relationship.
Repeated insults
If you notice your children mimicking rude phrases or words your ex-spouse uses to talk about you, then alienation may be occurring.
One common tactic some parents use is attempting to get their children to repeat and accept negative opinions about the other parent. By getting the child to reject you, your ex-spouse can harm your bond.
Uneven support
Sometimes, children claim they cannot remember any good times with you or that your ex-spouse is the only good parent they have. They may even reject all of their relatives on your side of the family.
This kind of extreme reaction often comes after many months of alienation and lies from the child’s other parent. Noticing how parental alienation affects you can help you take action to prevent it.