A Divorce With Children And Parental Alienation Syndrome

A divorce with children is more complicated and often more abrasive than a divorce that does not involve children. There are many child-related issues to consider during a divorce with children. Custody and visitation are the most common issues that must be resolved. There are other implications to having a divorce with children. Issues to consider are health care, child care, child support, and money for your children's education.

Another issue to consider is the relationship you wish to maintain with your former in-laws. If you have had a positive relationship with them during the marriage, you may want to put forth an effort to keep that supportive friendship healthy. Include them in your children's lives. Invite them to family celebrations and events. Just because you divorced your spouse does not necessarily mean that you have to cut all ties with the entire family.

However, a spouse will often blame the other spouse for the divorce when speaking to their friends and family. No one wants to appear to be the bad guy to the people closest to them. If you have extended invitations to in-laws, only to be rejected, you may want to consider discussing your wishes to them. Let them know that you would like them to be in yours and your children's lives. They are not likely to refuse this peace offering, but if they do, accept their inability to do so at this time. Perhaps circumstances will change and wounds will heal with time.

Custody battles can become heated and psychologically damaging to the children. Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is a mental disorder that can potentially affect children caught in child-custody disputes. Parental Alienation Syndrome is the phenomenon of one parent turning the child against the other. It results from the combination of brainwashing of a parent's accusations and the child's own contributions to the vilification of the targeted parent. Cases involving PAS are heavily litigated and filled with unfounded accusations and counter accusations.

Parental Alienation Syndrome involves the active blocking of contact between the children and the absent parent. One of the most common excuses to justify this interference between the child and the absent parent is that of protection. With Parental Alienation Syndrome, there are false or unfounded accusations of abuse against the absent parent. Part of the identification process of the existence of Parental Alienation Syndrome is the quality of the relationship between the children and the absent parent before the separation. The children caught in this dispute are often fearful of displeasing or disagreeing with the potentially alienating parent in regard to the absent or potential target parent. Parents engaging in a custody battle should remember that they need to look out for the best interest of the children, no matter how they feel about their spouse.

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