It's the holidays again ...Oh great

Thanksgiving MySpace Comments


The holiday season is starting again and this is a time that target parents can really feel the loss of not being able to spend the time with their children. While we spend our holiday eating a wonderful meal and giving thanks, we are not able to spend the time with the ones that we so dearly miss, love and care about. It is a void that no one seems to understand.

As I am thankful to have a beautiful child, supportive friends and followers of this blog, I am still human and have feelings. I still get down when the holidays come around because I know I will not be able to spend any time with my son. I get down, because he would sneak off to text message his father several times a day at one point, but can not "sneak" off now to send me a text message.

But this is not about me, it is about you and other target parents and how we can come together and be heard.

Parental Alienation is abuse! Stop the abuse!

You pick....Left or right

I am irritated today. I have read some stories, read some blogs, read some emails. It all boils down to the same thing. One parent trying to one up the other by denying the other parent parenting time with the other. Oh "he is an asshole", oh "she is a bitch". Throw in some accustions of abuse in there and it takes on a whole new twist. He said, she said. No wonder judges throw up their hands in these cases many times.

Let me put it this way. For those of you who read this blog, those who stumble upon it and to the others, think about some things. You and your ex had a child. While married everything was fine, may have been fine, but somehow your children loved both of you. I do not care what you claim now, but it did happen....your children loved both of you.

Now you are divorcing, or you are divorced, and you are in this custody battle and now one parent pits the other against the other asking and demanding the children to make their choice. It is me or the other parent.

So to you parents using your children as pawns to "win" custody, let me ask you to pick. As parents, together you made this child. That child is half of both of you. You pick which side of the child you like better...the right side or the left side.

It sounds absurb and stupid. No more than what you are asking your children to do. How can you love your children and hate your ex when our children are half of the ex we claim to hate. So is it the right side or left side of your children that you hate? Hate your ex, deny them access, you have to hate one side of your children. You pick.

In the end all this nit picking about issues does not matter. All this money, time and energy spent trying to win does not matter. What matters is our children. We love them faults and all. Why can't our children love parents faults and all?

Think about it!

Parental alienation is abuse! Stop the abuse!

The Carnival

Today, I am trying something different. I hope to give some hope to target parents as well. My title, " The Carnival" must seem a bit odd, but bear with me. The reason I am writing this is because I heard something the other day and an analogy was made. After I thought about it, it made a lot of sense.

Do you remember when you were little and your parents took you to the county fair, the carnival or something similar to this? If you had never been before, you were not sure what the excitement was. If you had been before, you were excited that you could go again. Once a year, you piled into the car, made the trip to the carnival and experienced the magic that it had for you. As young children, the only care was the exciting rides and the possibility to win some gifts at the games. The lights at night were memorizing and the smells of the different foods that you were not allowed to eat were more than alluring. Perhaps, your parents "allowed" you to ride what they considered the safe rides..Maybe they gave you a small amount of money or you saved up some to spend on the games. I think most parents told their children that these games were rigged and you were wasting your time and money on them. Perhaps they allowed you to learn your lesson as well. You spent your money on the games and now have nothing left to buy a fresh squeezed lemonade.

But the allure of the games was there. The people running them are calling out to you, enticing you with the big gift. You see others walking around with large gifts. You tell your parents that you can win, it is real, see the prizes and more. Maybe you play and win, maybe not. But the illusion that they are real and easy is there. You cannot escape this. You have been sucked into the illusion of something that is not real.

Fast forward from your childhood to now you are the parent taking your children to the carnival. You realize the excitement, the allure and you also realize that these games just take your money. Oh the promise is there and the illusion is such, but how do you make your children understand this?

Welcome to adulthood! So many years ago, you were that child with the big eyes, the excitement and the belief that this was real. But you have spent that money trying to win that prize and walked away with nothing more than a try again buddy! You left the carnival after spending your money on foods that were bad for you, rides that upset your stomach and games that did not deliver the promise, but you still had fun. Thankfully the carnivals only come once a year.

Children that are being programmed against a parent is like going to the carnival. They are promised all the hype and told all the lies, but it does not deliver.There is promise and there is fun as well. Some of these children realize the lies when they reach an age. Some don't and hold onto the belief that the big prize exists.

Alienated children are told that the other parent is bad, they lie, they abuse and more. Children can be manipulated into believing this. The children may even provide stories themselves to substantiate the lies being told by the alienating parent. Like the carnival, they are mislead into believing something that is far from the truth.

Some of these children will mature and realize that what appeared as truth is an illusion. Some may not and old onto that belief that the other parent is bad because they are told so. There is fun, there is promises and there is prizes for accepting this. But one day they will realize.

I do not know if and when this will happen, but as a targeted parent, you MUST keep contact, tell your children that you love them and be the parent that is there for them. Promise them nothing other than unconditional love. Parents that alienate have conditions on their love---- Target parents do not.

Should the term "parental alienation" be coined something else?

Nothing stirs up emotions and comments more than a discussion about parental alienation. Is it a syndrome? Should it be included in the DSM? Is it a valid argument when parents can not have access to their children in custody cases? Is it hogwash based on Gardner's background? Whatever your views are on the words of parental alienation and parental alienation syndrome, I am here to tell you that "something" is happening in custody cases worldwide.

On one side of the coin, you have groups that say that any denial of access is parental alienation. On the other side, you have groups that say they deny access of the children to the abuser and the abusers bring up parental alienation against the victim and the victims are labeled as alienators.

I wish not to write about those two sides. I wish to write about families with children, that the children had loving relationships with both parents prior to a divorce. The same families that when custody becomes the battle, one parent, turns the children against the other parent.

Children do not want their parents to divorce. They feel a sense of loss when this happens. It is the parents job to assure the children that although mom and dad no longer live together, that they both love the children and both will be a part of their lives. A parents job is to make this transition as painless as it can be. They should set aside their differences and work in concert with each other for their children. This at times can be more than difficult, but the parents are adults and should know the rules of civility and they also should possess some common sense. They are not doing this for themselves, but for their children. Unfortunately this does not happen in many cases.

In many cases a sense of greed overcomes them as well as a sense of revenge and entitlement. The children are no longer individuals, but property that is used as a bargaining chip in this game of who wins what. A spouse that has to buy a new home, has to give up possessions, and pay monetarily, but has access to the children is not losing enough. It can also go the other way, as in the spouse who get to stay in the home , gains possessions and receives monies, but has to share custody they still have not gotten enough. They lost and must win. Money plays a part in this, as to who will pay the other for their leaving the marriage, but money can be earned. The stake in the heart is the children and who gets them and who has access to them, like they are the car or house: a possession. Even if the spouse that utilizes these techniques to gain the money leverage and upper hand, the other will realize that the children still love the other parent. This is not enough for them, they have to win more. As I stated prior the "stake in the heart" is the loss of the children and the best way to accomplish this is to have the children state they hate the other parent. Worse yet is allegations of abuse to the child by the parent. This may very well lead to the other parent losing all rights to see the child and to have any relationship with the child. This is the "win" that many parents see. This is alienation. Definition of alienation: withdrawing or separation of a person or a person's affections from an object or position of former attachment

It does not matter to me what the phrase is called. It is the loss of the affection with the children. Call it custodial interference, call it denial of parenting time, call it SOMETHING! But dammit, realize that there are some parents out there that claim they love their children and want the best for them, but deny them access, knowledge, and more to the other parent. This is not love, it is not protection, it is selfishness, greed, and revenge.

Children do not wake up one day and claim abuse. Children do not wake up one day and claim they hate the other parent. Children are not sharing a happy and loving relationship for years and decide that abuse took place years ago suddenly. Children are being coached to state things beyond their understanding in these cases. They parrot the other parents ideas and thoughts, statements that are well beyond their comprehension or even their cares at the stage they are in. For example: "You do not take me to get my hair cut, it is always Mom (Dad) that does". "You have too much furniture in your home". "You buy me dress clothes too much". Mom (Dad) only buys my clothes at Walmart, Target(insert other non high dollar store name)". "Mom (Dad) has to drive to your house for drop-offs and pickups". I don't need mom (dad) as much anymore in my life". Theses are not concerns of children, but what parents say to brainwash the children to say to those that make the decisions in custody cases.

This is epidemic and happens daily around the world. Call it alienation, call it interference, call it denial of parenting, call it something. BUT, see it as it is....one parent using their children as pawns, as possessions, as bargaining chips to "win" revenge against the former spouse and to make them pay the ultimate price. The loss of a child's love for them and access to their children. Ultimately the children lose the most. They lose a parent who loves them. If this is not abuse, then I do not know what is.

Parental alienation is abuse! Stop the abuse!