What about the children?
Posted by Chris Salomons - Red Deer Advocate - April 25, 2011 8:18AM2 Comments
Of all the people on earth, none are easier to influence
than children. In James Clavel’s book “The Children’s Story”, we find
out that with just a little sweetness, and in a controlled setting, that
in just minutes or even a few hours, children can be convinced to
abandon or discard previous ways of thinking. They can even be taught to
reject the parents that have brought them up.
A child has no defense, such as discernment, against an adult with an agenda, especially if that adult is one that the child has come to trust. But sad to say, it happens all too often, especially in parents that have become estranged.
At the kitchen, we serve many parents who are in that position of estrangement or are divorced, either through abandonment, addictions, violence, or any other of a multitude of reasons. This already is bad enough, but in many of these situations the children become the weapon of choice in the battle that ensues in a failed marriage. That either one of the parents should try to influence a child against the other parent is already reprehensible, and the damage to both the child and the affected parent is irreversible and many times permanent.
Recently I learned about a group that is trying to put a stop to this practice. PARK (Parental Alienation Risks Kids) is a support group that seeks through early detection, education, and professional help, to change this offensive behavior.
As much as I feel that it is the kids that are harmed the most, there is no ignoring the fact that the alienated parent is also severely affected. To have had a child and then to lose that child through separation or divorce is extremely hard, and it tears out a portion of your heart like nothing else. Then to add to that injury, if a child is influenced against the other parent in any way, shape, or form, the pain can and has in some cases driven people to violence.
Without casting blame, this support group hopes to educate parents not only on how to recognize this behavior, but to end it and or how to cope with it.
In my mind, any group that sets out to improve life and especially life between estranged families, is worthy of recognition. Evidently the mayor of this great city thinks so as well, and has declared Monday, April 25th as Parental Alienation Awareness Day.
As I see it, this is a GOOD thing
—Chris
http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/opinion/blogs/street_tales/What_about_the_children_120609019.html#
A child has no defense, such as discernment, against an adult with an agenda, especially if that adult is one that the child has come to trust. But sad to say, it happens all too often, especially in parents that have become estranged.
At the kitchen, we serve many parents who are in that position of estrangement or are divorced, either through abandonment, addictions, violence, or any other of a multitude of reasons. This already is bad enough, but in many of these situations the children become the weapon of choice in the battle that ensues in a failed marriage. That either one of the parents should try to influence a child against the other parent is already reprehensible, and the damage to both the child and the affected parent is irreversible and many times permanent.
Recently I learned about a group that is trying to put a stop to this practice. PARK (Parental Alienation Risks Kids) is a support group that seeks through early detection, education, and professional help, to change this offensive behavior.
As much as I feel that it is the kids that are harmed the most, there is no ignoring the fact that the alienated parent is also severely affected. To have had a child and then to lose that child through separation or divorce is extremely hard, and it tears out a portion of your heart like nothing else. Then to add to that injury, if a child is influenced against the other parent in any way, shape, or form, the pain can and has in some cases driven people to violence.
Without casting blame, this support group hopes to educate parents not only on how to recognize this behavior, but to end it and or how to cope with it.
In my mind, any group that sets out to improve life and especially life between estranged families, is worthy of recognition. Evidently the mayor of this great city thinks so as well, and has declared Monday, April 25th as Parental Alienation Awareness Day.
As I see it, this is a GOOD thing
—Chris
http://www.albertalocalnews.com/reddeeradvocate/opinion/blogs/street_tales/What_about_the_children_120609019.html#
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