Hingham, MA family law attorney Carmela M. Miraglia explains parental alienation in a child custody case. She notes that alienation is a form of one parent turning a child or children against the other parent. Proving parental alienation can be very challenging because, in most cases, the behavior is subtle rather than overt—parents are rarely sitting down with their children and explicitly saying, “Your other parent did this or that.” Instead, it often shows up in indirect ways, such as making negative comments about the other parent, blaming them for certain events, or otherwise trying to influence the children’s feelings. While it is possible to bring a claim for parental alienation, convincing a judge that one parent is intentionally engaging in this behavior is typically very difficult.