The stresses of a divorce or separation are already physically, emotionally and psychologically hard for any parent placed under that circumstance. But in these cases, the most affected by the trauma of a failed marriage and broken family life are the children hence, several organizations are promoting shared parenting to stop the trauma brought by parental alienation.
A strong child-parent bond is deemed vital to the physical, mental and emotional well-being of a child. But in a hostile and winner-take-all custody battle, a child's well-being is often put at risk as they fall victims to endure the pain of taking sides between his or her conflicting parents.
In order to protect the welfare of children and to reduce the tragic cases of parental alienation, the National Parents Organization has been urging legislators to support a family law reform promoting shared parenting. But what exactly is parental alienation?
The Tragic Reality Of Parental Alienation And Fighting It With Love & Faith
"The Year of the Brave Bear: Speak Up. Stand Out. Change Your World" author and Parental Alienation Awareness Organization advocate Berni Xiong has defined parental alienation as a form of "emotional and mental abuse" caused by the person doing the "alienating on those who are being alienated from each other. In her Huffington Post article, Xiong also detailed the tragic reality of parental alienation.
As a matter of fact, Xiong stressed that parental alienation is a type of abuse that "leaves no visible scars or bruises" but it's a "dark secret" that was much bigger to bear, endure and handle alone. Luckily, Xiong, who experienced the agony of parental alienation, had found a solution to fight it through "unconditional love and unrelenting faith."
"No matter how tough things got... no matter how close I was to giving up... I promised myself to never compromise on sending unconditional love and unrelenting faith to my son all of those years we were alienated from each other," Xiong wrote.
Parental Alienation Vs. Stockholm Syndrome
Aside from Xiong, Bill O'Chee of Brisbane Times also shared a glimpse of the tragic case of parental alienation that led to a mother's suicide. In the article, O'Chee highlighted one of the characteristics of parental alienation where children are often bonded to a parent perpetrator.
This parental alienation characteristic is similar to the cases of Stockholm syndrome, where captives can form a bond to their abductors in hours or days. So, a child's bond to a parent perpetrator isn't surprising at all.
Stopping The Assumption That Dads Only Have Limited Roles In Parenting
Experts are promoting shared parenting laws to end the agony of parental alienation, as per a previous Parent Herald report. But according to Herald Scotland, shared parenting laws can also stop the debated assumption that fathers can only take a limited part in their children's lives.
Based on the article, the charity Families Need Fathers (FNF) is calling for shared parenting to be a part of the SNP Government's impending Family Law review. FNF Scotland national manager Ian Maxwell emphasized that children should have an "equally significant relationship" with both parents, who could collaborate for their kids' interests.
Co-Parenting Classes
Meanwhile, Osage County Extension is reportedly offering its Co-Parenting for Resilience class for divorcing parents with minor children. The class aims to educate parents with children on how to deal with divorce, as well as give them insights on how to practice shared parenting for the benefits of their children, Skiatook Journal reports.
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