There are a lot of ways to be a sub-par parent but not be unfit under the law. Many parenting styles create trauma for children but aren’t necessarily deemed to be unfit. So, how does the law define an unfit parent? Let’s take a look.
The Profile of an Unfit Parent
It’s important to note that in South Carolina, being declared an unfit parent by the court doesn’t automatically mean that parent won’t have some form of visitation or contact with the child. In many cases, even when one parent is deemed unfit, they’ll still have supervised parenting time with the child. What can get a parent declared unfit in the eyes of the law?
- Abusive behavior toward the child, other children or the other parent
- Neglect or failure to provide proper care for the child
- Addiction to drugs or alcohol
- History of psychological or emotional abuse of the child, other children or other parent
- Being overly strict resulting in the use of constant or extreme forms of punishment
- Failure to visit, inability to keep to visitation schedule
- Inability to provide required support for the child
- History of criminal activity that includes sexual offenses
- Exposing the child to dangerous situations or to criminal associates with a history of sexual offenses
Malicious Parent Syndrome
There is another, less publicized, way of showing the courts you are unfit to parent and that is by displaying malicious parent syndrome. Malicious parent syndrome is abnormal parenting behavior during a divorce or custody proceeding where one parent uses the child as leverage to punish the other parent in various ways. These ways could include:
- Harming or depriving the child in an effort to make the other parent look bad
- Using other people or even the court itself to alienate the other parent from the child
- Denying visitation or communication for the other parent with the child
- Denying the other parent involvement in school and extracurricular activities for the child
- Lying about the other parent to the child and other individuals to defame the other parent
The underlying reasons one parent displays malicious parent syndrome typically have nothing to do with the child or the child’s welfare and stem, instead, from a desire to hurt or punish the other parent. This lack of regard for the child’s welfare in seeking to punish the other parent is weighed heavily by the courts.
The courts always aim to do what is in the best interests of the child. Losing custody of one’s child can be a traumatic event and even more so if the reasons are baseless. If you think your child could be in jeopardy because of the other parent’s activities or associates, call Bulldog PI to help you get the documentation you need to protect your child from harm.
