In a previous blog I talked about Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and its affect on kids. PAS is a form of child abuse where one adult, generally the parent, seeks to endanger the relationship between a child and their other parent. This happens many times in bitter divorce cases. For those out there who don’t believe the effects of PAS lasts a lifetime, listen to this story.
Last week a Miami radio station held a 24-hour marathon to bring awareness of this important issue to listeners. During this time non-custodial parents, alienated parents and children affected by PAS, were given the opportunity to talk about this issue. Some of the topics discussed included the difficulties of non-custodial parents to maintain relationships with their children, child custody reform, shared parenting initiatives and changing state laws.
As I said, the effects of PAS lasts a lifetime. In most cases the alienator is a parent but in some cases it can be any adult who seeks to strain the relationship between a child and their parent(s). In some cases, the alienator may be the child’s grandparent(s). As evidence, a 58-year-old grandmother talked about her own childhood and the effect PAS still has on her life today. Bessie Hudgins spoke about how her grandmother had alienated her from her parents. She was not allowed any contact with them and was told that they didn’t want her because she wasn’t “a good girl”. She believe this most of her life until at the age of 15 she ran away to find her parents. Her father had already died but she was able to find her mother, who told her that she had always loved her despite what her grandmother had told her. She was able to spend 12 years with her mother before she died. She told listeners that to this day she still suffers the scars of PAS.
I’ll end this blog like I did the last one, if you are a potential alienator, Stop. If you see yourself becoming a victim, get help for your child.
See also:
Parental Alienation Syndrome, The Ugly Side of Parenting