I comfort my son and tell him that his father is exaggerating. “Papa was wrong to say that. I am a good mom. You are safe with me.”

My experience:

Justin seems reassured, for now. We have a good week together. The next Friday, Justin goes to his dad’s house and tells him what I said.

My ex accuses me of parental alienation and sends me an email filled with false claims. He threatens to speak to his lawyer and implies that I’m manipulating our son. I realize that by trying to protect my child, I’m likely to be accused of damaging their father-son relationship.

Explanation:

Abusers will often accuse their ex-partners of parental alienation, trying to discredit the victim and manipulate the perceptions of the professionals involved in the case.

This project was funded by the Government of Quebec/Secrétariat à la condition féminine.