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audiences (like children) respond on the basis of how much they like the communicator (Chaiken, 1980).
Related to this is the effect of good feelings on persuasiveness. Persuasion is more effective when good moods and feeling states are paired with messages (Petty, 1993). Consider the parent who engages the child an exciting game or activity right before visitation. The child, absorbed in a game or craft activity and having a good time also listens to the parent say, “Gee, I’m going to miss you when you go to Mommy’s.” The implied message is “don’t leave.” The message is paired with an enjoyable activity. It would not be surprising to see a child’s level of protest increase when the parent comes for the pick-up.
It also operates in the reverse, in the case of children who don’t want to leave the visiting parent and return to the custodial parent. Parents who see their children on weekends often use the fact that their children don’t “want to go back” to the custodial parent at the end of a weekend visit to support the contention that the custodial parent should not have custody.
Weekend parents (mothers or fathers) who treat their children to an endless array of fun times and freedom from responsibility provide the child with a favorable but distorted view of life in that household. When a child has chores, homework and other responsibilities in the custodial household, it is natural for the child to wish and express that they would be happier in the less structured, more “fun” environment. Weekend parents want to make the most of the time they spend with their children, and that is fine. However, weekend parents are still parents, and must contribute to teaching their children how to become productive and responsible.
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