Parental Alienation Syndrome was probably first identified and codified by Dr. Richard Gardner in his book of the same name. He first laid out his thesis in 1985 in an article, "Recent Trends in Divorce and Custody Litigation." He expanded this into the book "Parental Alienation Syndrome," and since then, PAS has been written about, studdied, debated, denied, and - of course - has had dozens of websites and forums dedicated to it.
A brief overview of PAS will be helpful and will explain more about this condition than quoting from the hundreds of articles written about it. PAS has 4 components, and all 4 must be present (otherwise the situation is called "Parental Alienation"):
(1) --parent acting as gatekeeper to the children
(2) --unfounded allegations of abuse
(3) --deterioration in the relationship between child and parent from once-healthy to fearful
(4) --fear reaction of the child to the alienating parent
In other words, the alienating parent (usually the custodial parent) falsely accuses the non-custodial parent of an act of abuse against the child (2), makes these allegations to the child (2), uses these false allegations to restrict the contact between the parent and the child (1), which deteriorates the relationship between that child and the parent (3). During this process, the custodial parent is instilling fear in the child of opposing the false allegations (4), which - if it is effective enough - can make the child convince himself that the allegations are true.
PAS must be dealt with IMMEDIATELY. Sometimes the custodial parent may not be doing this consciously (custodial parent likes the power from (1), but if challenged, invents an abuse allegation (2) to continue, enjoys seeing the child turn away from non-custodial parent (3), which is reinforced by the custodial parent (4)), which is all the more reason that it must be challenged before it gets a foothold in the mind of the child.
Most states have petitions (a form of injunctive relief) to force visitation to occur IF the non-custodial parent is current in supoort AND there is no justifiable basis for the unilateral suppression of visitation. This is an extremely powerful weapon for the non-custodial parent, and the relief is immediate. The problem is that, for some reason, they are not as familiar with attorneys or judges. Youu may have to press your lawyer to file this.
Most states also have petitions to hold the custodial parent in contempt of court for violating court-ordered visitation schedules. These petitions are more familiar, but they seek to enforce visitation by making its denial painful to the custodial parent.
These petitions may not work the first time, but repeatedly bringing them may convince the judge to address the problem before the children actually hate the non-custodial parent, without any basis other than spite and meanness of the custodial parent.
Erik Carter is an experienced family law litigator. He has created a website to help non-custodial fathers at http://onestop.easystorecreator.net He has also written two books: "Aggressive Pleadings For The Non-Custodial Father" http://onestop.easystorecreator.net and "Six Temptations Of Jesus Christ" http://onestop.easystorecreator.net
eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..Not too long ago my teenage daughter approached me with... Read More
I am writing this from the beautiful mountains of Western... Read More
Not Letting Them Think.We all implicitly know that anything questioning... Read More
One of the few decisions you'll make during pregnancy that... Read More
When you're a parent it's a difficult decision to know... Read More
Kids today no longer live the kind of privileged lives... Read More
Dan Rather made a significant and tactical error and got... Read More
We've got spirit, yes we do! We've got spirit how... Read More
I hear from many parents that their child is stressed... Read More
It is not the divorce but the conflict arising after... Read More
Predicament:My son is 4 1/2 years old. His younger brother... Read More
One of my first memories of childhood is that of... Read More
Child Party Planning Guideline #1)Pick the ThemeYour child is going... Read More
(Isaiah 11:6 KJV) The wolf also shall dwell with the... Read More
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With... Read More
The distressed adolescent often has feelings of abandonment, emotional detachment,... Read More
Valentine day has always been a special day in my... Read More
Moms, did you ever question your value as a role... Read More
Not nearly as often as it should. Most child abuse... Read More
The purpose of this article is to address some of... Read More
When David was nine and Laura was twelve, the battles... Read More
Do you ever wonder what is behind the occasional nasty... Read More
Is it hard to communicate with your teenager about issues... Read More
Why are more people, especially parents not outraged?I call it... Read More
Home, home on the range, Where never is heard A... Read More
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..What is child sexual abuse? Any sexual activity that is... Read More
Former students would probably attest to the fact that few... Read More
Q. When you consult with a family with teens, what... Read More
This may come as a surprise.But despite all the advances... Read More
Yesterday my husband Wade took the day off (that's one... Read More
The older my daughter gets the more it's sinking in... Read More
It's been said, time and again, that for a child... Read More
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Results of the Spanking Poll on Rexanne.com: Voters - 233Percentage... Read More
First there were Yuppies (Young Urban Professionals). Then came the... Read More
What is the mystery of motherhood? I know that when... Read More
If you are a parent, then more than likely you... Read More
Giving with a happy heart. If you teach a child... Read More
Self-reliance and potential are two very important values that I'd... Read More
In the last few years, parents started getting more and... Read More
There may really be a real monster under your kid???s... Read More
One of the basic issues we need to understand is... Read More
KIDS AND THE NEWSMore than ever, children witness innumerable, sometimes... Read More
Studies have shown that:1 out of 4 children were sent... Read More
Software for parental control is a useful tool, if applied... Read More
Did you know that inconsistency on matters of discipline gives... Read More
As mothers, we play so many different roles and most... Read More
A friend phoned her neighbor, complaining about the wafts of... Read More
Whether children attend public or private schools, they benefit when... Read More
Q. Our 17-year-old son wants us to let his girlfriend... Read More
Many parents struggle to know which foods are healthy for... Read More
Parenting |