Parents - How Are You Behaving and What Are You Saying to Your Children?

Recently, I was having a conversation with a subject matter expert referencing parenting; and personally, it took me back to my childhood and as a single parent.  As I began to remove my masks referencing my life, I am thankful for the memories of my father being in my life, but saw that quickly vanish after he and my mother ceased dating.  I recalled some of my experiences, as a result.  The cycle repeated itself with me as a parent.  I am thankful for vowing to never play tug-a-war with my children and never talk bad about their father.  However, my personal experiences led me to ponder several questions.

1.  Do children have a decision-making voice with    parents?   

2.  Why are children used as tug-a-war objects?

3.  Are we aware of the derogatory impact on the       child when there is division between parents?

4.  How did the absence of my Father impact my       life?

As the conversation continued, Mr. Robert Simmons, Life Coach and organizer of a community father support group, mentioned the word "parental alienation" and asked me to do further research.  I did; and found it most informative and empowering.   I hope this blog information will be used for the greater good of your child.    

Parental alienation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Parental alienation is the process, and the result, of the psychological manipulation of a child into showing unwarranted fear, disrespect or hostility towards a parent or other family members.^[1][2] It is a distinctive and widespread form of psychological abuse and family violence—towards both the child and the rejected family members—that occurs almost exclusively in association with family separation or divorce (particularly where legal action is involved)^[3] and that undermines core principles of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Most commonly, the primary cause is a parent wishing to exclude another parent from the life of their child, but other family members or friends, as well as professionals involved with the family (including psychologists, lawyers and judges), may contribute significantly to the process.^[1][4] It often leads to the long-term, or even permanent, estrangement of a child from one parent and other family members^[5] and, as a particularly adverse childhood experience, results in significantly increased risks of both mental and physical illness for children.

Please read and seriously think about the content within the links.  Remove your masks - yes I said masks-  and self-assess.  We all wear them in the forms of roles, emotions, or positions.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/co-parenting-after-divorce/201304/the-impact-parental-alienation-children

https://www.parentalalienation.com/articles/symptoms-parental-alienation.html

Note:   Robert Simmons' fathers' parent support groups are currently held each Monday.  He may be reached at rlssimm84@gmail.com.