Parental Alienation -

From http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/
(This was supposed to also go on my MumsdadsAndKidsAgainstSoleParenting Blog but for some strange reason I can't post to it anymore :(

"My parents ended their marriage when I was seven years old. My siblings and I saw our father every other Sunday, from Noon until 6 PM. I was told that at the age of 12 that I could decide if I wanted to continue these visits. It was made very clear to me what my decision was to be.

As the time approached, I decided to be brave and say that I still wanted to see my father. I never had the chance. My mother told me that because we had recently moved 10 miles away from where my father lived, he found it inconvenient to pick us up.

I was devastated. In spite of all of the horror stories I had heard from my Mother, he was kind to me…I saw him once when I was seventeen, and I felt so guilty that I put off making another visit. He died less than a year later.

I believe that this parental alienation has caused me a tremendous amount of unhappiness and confusion, and cost me a small fortune in therapy. I am now watching my brother and a friend of mine try to maintain relationships with their children, while their ex-wives undermine them daily.

I found out the truth from my mother just a few months ago—that she had told the Courts I had decided not to see my father. No one asked me. The peace this information has provided is astonishing to me….and I am 51 years old."