Custodial parents have a lot of power. Oftentimes they shape a child’s perception of the world by deciding what information and which individuals the child has contact with. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, some custodial parents take this gatekeeping role too far. When they do, non-custodial parents may pay the price.
The dangers of parental gatekeeping
Excessive use of parental gatekeeping is usually seen in situations where there’s a lot of conflict amongst the parents. In these circumstances, the custodial parent sometimes sees their gatekeeping role as an opportunity to effectuate revenge against the other parent, but other times the custodial parent simply has a warped perception of what he or she thinks is best for the child.
As a result, noncustodial parents can be cut out of their child’s life. They may not be kept up-to-date on their child’s health and medical appointments, and they oftentimes aren’t made aware of their child’s extracurricular activities. This can breed resentment in the child when he or she doesn’t understand why their other parent has been absent for important moments in their life. Therefore, parental gatekeeping can cause significant harm to the parent-child relationship
Have you been subjected to parental gatekeeping?
If you think that your relationship with your child has been impacted by excessive use of parental gatekeeping, then you might want to think about your legal options. By pursuing a child custody modification, you may be able to put the custodial parent’s egregious behavior to a stop while preserving your relationship with your child. Of course, you’ll need evidence to support your position, as well as strong legal arguments. However, building the best legal strategy possible around your child custody dispute is well worth the effort when it comes to protecting your child’s best interests.