Declare April 25th as Parental Alienation Awareness Day in the State of Montana
- Target:
- Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.MontanaDAD.com
The problem of Parental Alienation in our state and beyond has become critical despite the fact that we as a society have the highest obligation to protect our children.
Dr. Richard Gardner, the first to recognize PAS, defines it as "a disorder that arises primarily in the context of child-custody disputes. Its primary manifestation is the child's campaign of denigration against a parent, a campaign that has no justification. It results from the combination of a programming (brainwashing) parent's indoctrination and the child's own contributions to the vilification of the targeted parent."
One of the leading professionals in this area, Dr. Richard Warshak, author of Divorce Poison, is puzzled by some therapist’s ambivalence in preventing PAS. While they agree that the brainwashing of PAS is a form of emotional abuse, they often fail to remove a child from the obviously damaging environment; yet they would be the first to do so if there were any signs of physical or emotional abuse. This is particularly alarming when you consider the fact that the impact of emotional abuse is worse than any other abuse, both in severity and duration.
RK Hendricks Esq., a retired family law attorney, pro tem judge and founder of Protection for Men, notes that no one has taken the time to educate bureaucrats and judges on the cultural changes that have taken place over the past 50 years. This failure has led to exploitation of the judicial system.
Hendricks continues that discussing this topic is simply too explosive and most are uncomfortable doing so publicly. He warns however, “if you are a wholesome and nurturing father, you need to fiercely protect your rights, as well as the rights of your children!"
PETITION REQUEST
Parental Alienation and Hostile Aggressive Parenting involve a series of behaviors, that can effectively alienate a child from a parent. They are often seen in the context of high conflict divorce or custody cases, and are done by a third party, such as a parent, or extended family. Such behaviors interfere with the bond between a loving parent and child.
These behaviors can include speaking negatively about a parent to, or in front of, a child; interfering with communication and visitation; moving and leaving no contact information; allowing children to make inappropriate decisions, such as if they want to see the other parent; and discussing inappropriate information with a child, such as details of the marriage, court proceedings, and financial matters.
The most common response of a child exposed to alienating behaviors is extreme resistance to contact with, or fear of, a parent without any justifiable cause.
These behaviors are both painful and destructive, and can leave deep and long-lasting emotional scars on a child. Research has shown that children who have been alienated from a parent show a greater percentage of depression, low self-esteem, drug and alcohol problems, and difficulties in their own relationships.
While not everyone agrees on the terminology, most mental health and legal professionals acknowledge and agree that alienating behaviors, such as those above are damaging.
These behaviors, designed to take advantage of a child’s suggestibility and dependency, leave a child feeling confused, frightened, and insecure.
They can result in the loss of a relationship with a previously loving, supportive, and nurturing parent, and, in fact, send a message, that the half of the child that is that parent is unworthy. The child has “lost” a parent, but is given no permission to grieve.
Parental Alienation behaviors, under the term, Parental Alienation, must be recognized, understood, and addressed to allow a child to love and be loved by both parents, regardless of the parents’ relationship to each other.
We urge Governor Brian Schweitzer to learn more about Parental Alienation, invite him to visit
http://www.MontanaDAD.com, and ask that he support this cause by declaring April 25th as Parental Alienation Awareness Day in the State of Montana.
For the sake of all children to be able to give and receive all of the love they deserve.
Resources:
1. http://www.PAawareness.org
2. Darnall, Douglas, “Divorce Casualties”, Taylor Trade Publishing, 1998
3. Warshak, Richard A., “Divorce Poison”, Harper Collins Publishing, 2001
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Declare April 25th as Parental Alienation Awareness Day in the State of Montana petition to Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer was written by Christopher J Thompson and is in the category Children's Rights at GoPetition.