Thank you for publishing Mandy Feder”s column that “Hostile parenting hurts the children.”
Many people may be aware that April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month but they are probably not aware that April 25 is Parental Alienation Awareness Day.
A lot of people ? including counselors and so-called child advocates ? may not even be aware of the term parental alienation. It happens often to children of divorce.
Parental alienation occurs when one parent bad-mouths the other parent. Children know they are part-mom and part-dad and when one parent is degraded, the child will feel part of them is being put down as well.
Children are so susceptible to what they hear. What child doesn”t believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? So when a child hears that “Daddy doesn”t love you.” or “Mommy is stupid,” feelings are internalized.
Parental alienation can be more subtle as well. When divorced dad tries to call his child on the phone ? and the conversation is interrupted by mom”s demand to “Clean your room” or “Do your homework,” the child learns to associate good feelings with dad with unpleasant tasks or household chores.
Each state has an attorney general who will go after the “dead-broke dad” who can”t pay child support ? even if he has been downsized due to corporate greed. But the AG will do nothing if a “malicious mother” breaks the same divorce decree and doesn”t allow the child to see his dad.
According to the Web site http://www.parental-alienation-awareness.com/default.asp , the aim of Parental Alienation Awareness Day is to make judges, police officers, psychiatrists, lawyers, as well as friends and family of the people abusing their children by alienation tactics, to become aware of this growing problem and form of abuse.
With awareness comes education and understanding, and the power to stop the abuse of innocent children caught in the crossfire of people they love.
Don Mathis
Sherman, TX
