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Topic : 12/26 "Brainwashed by My Parents"

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Created on : Friday, September 26, 2008, 02:43:44 pm
Author : DrPhilBoard3

(Original Air Date: 10/03/08) It’s being called the ultimate form of child abuse -- brainwashing your children against an ex-spouse to win custody. Could you be harming your child emotionally and not even know it? First up, Ken is a successful surgeon who says he’s the victim of parental alienation syndrome (PAS). He says he hasn’t seen his 14-year-old son since last October and claims his ex-wife destroyed what was once a loving father-son relationship. Mel Feit, director of the National Center for Men, says Ken’s situation is a classic case of kids being turned against their father, but family law attorney Liz Kates says PAS is a phony tactic used by some men to get out of paying child support. What does Dr. Phil think? Then, Karen lost custody of her children after she was accused of parental alienation syndrome by her ex-husband. Karen maintains her innocence, so why were her parental rights terminated when her daughters accused her ex of sexual abuse? Plus, 19-year-old Demi joins the show via Web cam and says her father verbally abused her mother during their divorce. Now, she fears that her 15-year-old sister is caught in the middle. Find out what you can do if you’re caught between sparring parents. And, meet a father so desperate to see his young children, he kidnapped them from his ex-wife and went on the lam for two years. Talk about the show here.


Find out what happened on the show.


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October 3, 2008, 5:26 pm PDT

I am a survivor

I have an ex husband who has sabotaged  my son's relationship with me, his mother. It has been 6 years since we divorced and he has been remarried for 4. We also has a daughter, 13 and he hasn't seen her in over a year now. My son went to live with him during the divorce because his dad convinced him that he would not make it  if he were alone. I can tell you that almost every terrible word that came out of my sons mouth, when he was with his father, were the same words that came out of my ex's mouth. I did not want to add to the preassure my son must have been feeling so I did not say anything back during these times. My son is now 20 and I still do not not have contact with him. My ex brought him to a child support hearing, regarding his sister, my ex's daughter, after he graduated. My son was crying because my ex convinced him that if he was ordered to pay more child support he would not be able to go to college.  Now, my ex's wife is writing terrible letters to my daugher on the wife's Myspace. My ex has not seen his daughter in over a year and blames me. Only I have not and will not encourage my daughter NOT o see her father. He has chosen not to visit because he says it is unfair that he has to drive to pick her up AND drop her off  for HIS visits. We only live about a mile away and I have told him he can come and see her whenever he wants. How do fight back with this kind of sabotage? The only thing I can so is survive and keep trying to let my son know I love him and always will. That I am here and always will be. For my daughter? I feel bad for her because she should have a relationship with dad. What can I do?

 
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October 3, 2008, 5:29 pm PDT

Extreme parent alienation - i.e. abuse

My children & I suffered thru 15 years of what I consider extreme parent alienation. The alienation was perpetrated by my ex-wife and her mother & involved my ex-wife's numerous boyfriends and 4 of her 6 husbands. I could probably stop their & let you draw your own conclusions. However, I still need to dump the anger. It started, after we separated, but before we were officially divorced, with her first live in boyfriend interfering with my court ordered visitation and telling me he was a black belt in Karate, ex marine & killed s..t like me everyday in Vietnam. The alienation continued thru high school. I spent $10 to $15K on attorneys & counselors & all I got was higher child support. The years of abuse have had a negative effect on my children. My oldest daughter says she doesn't remember most of her childhood. Blocked it out. Although both have college degrees, are married and have good jobs, both are hesitant to have children of their own. Although I try to give them positive support, I think they are afraid they may fail as mothers. Or, they just don't want to risk their children going thru what they went thru. Both told me their mother should never have been a mother. Very sad. I have allot of personal guilt over that statement 'cause I was half responsible. My ex & I live approximately 1/2 mile from each other in the same town of 200,000 pop. Her mother lives a block away. We have attended numeorus school functions, baseball & volleyball games & tournaments, 2 high school graduations, 2 college graduations and 2 weddings. A month ago, my ex came up to me at my youngest daughter's house warming & started a conversation. What was the point of all the fighting? Who really suffered? The biggest problem I see is no one with authority or power (Judges, police, attorneys, mental health "professionals") really want to deal with the problem. The courts are only concerned with making sure the State doesn't support children when their is a dad to pay child support. Cops are either the biggest chauvinists in the world or are trained to automatically assume the male is the party at fault. Attorneys and mental health professionals have no clue and no backbone and their only self serving goal in life is to part you from your money. The more problems they find or create, the more you will pay to resolve a very emotional issue. My answer to the problem is very simple. When people get married, as they sign their marriage license, make them sign an agreement that states in case of un-reconsilable differences their divorce will be settled by a mediator or arbitrator using set pre-defined rules, set property division guidleines with right of appeal to a higher court. In the mediation/arbitration agreement, state if child visitation is interfered with, regardless of which party or parties are at fault, everyone is going to jail for 24 hours, fisrt time, with a $1,000 fine by each party & the penalty doubles on each re-occurence. Based on my experience, with the above rules, maybe those over the age of maturation (I won't use the term adults) will realize their responsibilty to their children. And, maybe their will be less anger and resentment between ex spouses that is mostly perpetrated by self serving Attorneys and mental health professionals trying to justify their high fees.
 

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October 3, 2008, 5:32 pm PDT

Dear TARGET PARENT

Quote From: natesmom4ever

I want to send a message to all of you parents out there that think you're doing the right thing for your child/ren by supporting their "decision" to cut out the non-custodial parent out of their lives, whether they are paying child support or not. 

 

Think about this: If you are in any way, shape or form exaggerating, manipulating, telling white lies, twisting the truth, fabricating events, justifying and/or rationalizing, in order to influence your child/ren's love and opinions of their other parent, YOU ARE COMITTING PARENTAL ALIENATION!  It's that simple and THAT'S CHILD ABUSE! 

 

Children are much more forgiving than us adults and I'm not saying that where there is REAL abuse going on it should be ignored.  Those of you who are truly dealing with abuse know who you are.  This message is not for you.  Its for the rest of you, and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!  "If you know in your heart that you are doing and saying things that are inaccurate because you really would rather not have to deal with your ex for whatever reason, then you are being selfish and you are robbing your child/ren of their right to love, forgive AND be loved by both their parents. 

 

Natesmom4ever

 

Hi Nates Mom.  Your user name sounds familar. I think I may have seen your username in another PAS Support Group.    I am writing to you on behalf of the NJ PAS Support Group, a small (but quickly growing) group of Alienated Parents from New Jersey.  Many of our group members were at the Family Preservation Festival in Washington DC this past August.

Of course PAS is real; we are all experiencing the hurt and loss of our children, the horrible hatred....at this time. Our group (unfortunately) grows larger and larger every day as the word spreads to so many people we meet through networking and just talking about our cases.

We are VERY happy that this subject has FINALLY been aired on the Dr. Phil show.  We know through our contacts that the show has been trying to get this topic on Air for quite some time.  Funny how the OTHER parent, the parent DOING the Alienating, the parent BRAINWASHING the children NEVER agrees to be on the Dr. Phil show to tell his/her side of the story!  NEVER. That has been the problem for a couple of years now.  And stil, to this day, only the Target Parent appeared on todays' show. 

We are experiencing Parental Alienation right NOW.  WE are all experiencing our children turning against us, saying they don't want to see us, saying they hate us, being horribly disrespectful and LYING to the other parent, not even wanting to associate with extended family.  Our NJ group was formed by several people who originally wrote to Dr. Amy J. L. Baker  (read her book!!) and I am so very glad she put us in contact with each other. 

We are trying very hard to make CHANGES - legislation to require Family Court Judges to be REQUIRED to attend a course on Parental Alienation as part of their required Continuing Education Credits BEFORE being allowed to sit on that Family Court Bench.   At least that...to UNDERSTAND that just because a child says "I hate my DAD/ MOM" and  "I dont WANT to go see my Dad / Mom anymore!!"  that allowing that brainwashed child to make his/her OWN adult decision at a young age can have DEVISTATING results when they grow up. 

Read Richard Warshaks book. Read Amy J.L. Bakers book.  Read more about Richard Gardner's findings, read Douglas Darnell's book.........those naive folks out there NEED TO EDUCATE themselves - BEFORE getting divorced.  We have got to do something to prevent this horrible form of child abuse to go on and on and on and on and destroy our children, who are OUR future! 

-------Carrie in New Jersey


 

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October 3, 2008, 5:32 pm PDT

10/03 "Brainwashed by My Parents"

Quote From: pinkjorgensen

I beleive Dr. Phil said that the mother and her lawyer refused to answer his calls? They had a chance and turned it down. It sounds like Melissa had a very clear memory of her childhood and wishes nothing to be different, it sounds like the mom had that chance years ago and she blew it. Personally, I hope it was very painful for her because she had already made her bed and in thinking soley of herself she had lost.

Just for your reference her mother couldn't respond because she is dead.. she didn't have an attorney that could respond. Melissa's mother was my Aunt. She was a very caring and loving person. It is very easy to judge when only one side is given. But really thanks for the compassion.

 
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October 3, 2008, 5:34 pm PDT

second families

Quote From: haleyhans

 

I am also wife #2 and my husband is still going through this PAS.  His two boys from his previous marriage will have nothing to do with him anymore.  This has been going on two years now.  Before that, it was a rocky relationship.  His ex hates my guts for no reason and has purposedly bad mouthed me for years.  He has been divorced for several years and was the main parent in the raising of his two boys due to her mental issues (mostly in her mind, but nothing proved by numerous doctors).  When my husband decided to leave her due to her having an affair and admitting she didn't love him anymore, she started her evil plan to alienate their children from him.  She has so much anger and bitterness, it is insane.

 

If I call her house, she freaks out on me immediately for no reason, so I have given up on that.

 

My husband and I have an 8 year old son who was thrilled to death to have 2 older brothers, they are now 18 and 21.  They refuse to see their dad or their little brother, of course I guess he's evil too, my young son.

 

He is heartbroken and so is my husband.  I see the despair and hurt in my husband's eyes and it kills me that I cannot do anything to help. 

 

Both boys are still living with the mother, so I tell him, hopefully, when they leave the house, they will come back to him.

 

thanks for your post, it is so amazing how much this is going on today, and it is a shame.

 

It's also a shame how that attorney made the whole issue into a joke.

 

 

I am also a second wife and the issue of PAS seems so familiar to what you have described- and I am sorry to tell you my husband's ex treats him with such utter disregard- both in front of and to his son- even after 10 + years of being divorce- they separated in 1997 and divorce was finalized in 1998 and to this very day there is bad mouthing, despite courts ordering her to counseling on numerous occasions.  Ther is manipulation and interference with visitation- but it is never her doing- it is what the son wants- she went so far this year as to have the child send a CERTIFIED letter to his father to ANNOUNCE he would not be coming for the court ordered/scheduled visitation because of a,b,c, whatever reasons- none of which made much sense.  Oh and when the child added into the letter that the dad 'brought it upon himself' because he goes to work when the child is here for visitation-well the gig was up- as this has been her complaint since 1999--but I digress- the point is when she runs out of garbage to sling at her ex or about him- she targets others- usually me or our children.  So now she has branched out- notonly hurting her own child but mine as well- it is heartbreaking.  She even told her son that our children were NOT his brothers.  She refuses to allow him  to send bday cards, holiday cards, no gofts, no telephone calls- has banned us(through threatening to pull all contact) from calling her house...the list is ridiculous and endless- I was able to offer my opinion only when it was about my husband and his ex- and their son- but now that her behavior is affecting my children and their relationship with their brother- it is a tightrope walk- every birthday, every holiday, every time the phone rings--- I believe strongly in not turning over my happiness to her(or anyone) that seeks to control it through anger and bitterness- but this is hard, very hard- because although she is miles and miles away- her presence is always felt- by the mere fact that the son of my husband, the step and half brother to our sons and my stepson is always missing from this or that event and we are always absent from his events- each time it is another chunk of our heart being taken away.  Reading through your comments and all those pages and pages of comments it is clear none of us are alone- but when you sit through another father or mothers day without a card or call from your child, or another birthday with same, or another summer or holiday goes by and you are told I don't want to see you- the feeling of ALONE is all you feel- even when you are surrounded by people who love you--it is always the one pushing you away that you need back- life is just not complete without those you love in your life.
 
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October 3, 2008, 5:37 pm PDT

10/03 "Brainwashed by My Parents"

Quote From: kinseygirl

There are many, many , many parents caught in this Alienation tactic. Good caring parents.. We want to see our children and care for them.. The court system needs to acknowledge what is happening. These children ar helpless to defend themselves...We want to do the right thing by our children.......... This is abuse.
With very few words, you did a very good job stating the problem and caring parent's real desire. I hope someone legislator is reading all of this 'cause a change in laws will be required to tackle the problem.
 
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October 3, 2008, 5:41 pm PDT

Suffering from son being brainwashed

My son's mother has played almost every "game" there is when it comes to my son's feelings toward me. He is now 16, and I haven't seen him in over 5 years. It has been 2 years since I have talked to him on the phone. I split up with her when I he was 3 yrs old. From that time on she has done and said many thing to get my own son to hate me and not even want to talk to me.

One of the first big events that happened when he was 5 yrs old; I had him for my scheduled visit, every other weekend. When she came to pick him up on Sunday, she told him to "give your father a kiss and hug, you are never going to see him again!" My son walked up to me with tears and held on to me so tight with tears running down his face, telling me he loved me. Then she pulled him away from me and drag him by the arm to the car as he yelled out not to take him away. The next day I couldn't get a hold of her, went by her house and they were gone, the house empty. She never said where she was going. She didn't even tell child support what her new address was, she had her mom send her the checks. She moved 500 miles away in another state. 2 years later, no phone calls or letters, she moved back to the town where I lived and called me and asked me if I wanted to see him, of course I said yes. When she came back she allowed me to have visitation, which was every other weekend during school and every 2 weeks on and off in the summer. She never stuck to these rules set by the Judge that we seen. It was when my son and his mother felt like obeying them.

Since then, the one thing I know she has been telling him when he would come for visitation, is that I wanted to take him away from her and never let him see her or her mother again, he told me this. So he would want to go back to her right away after I picked him up.

The last time I seen him was when he was 11 yrs old and visited for a week in the summer. I lived 4 hours away from them at that time. I picked him up and brought him to my house. We had fun for 2 days, with his mom calling every day to talk to him. The 2nd day when she called she and his brother and sister all told him how much they would miss him if I kept him away from them and didn't return him. They kept asking him when he was coming home. They all kept saying thing like this until he was crying for me to take him back home again. I took him home that same day, after I broke down and cried a while. I told him I would never take him from his mother or her family. I never talk bad about his mother in front of him, in fact I talked her up or I didn't say anything if I had nothing good to say about her. After I took him home I called and talked to him a few times. Then all of a sudden she told me that he didn't want to speak to me. Every time I called she would tell me the same thing. And the last time I talked to him was when my mother passed away. When I called to tell him, and see if she might let him go to the funeral, she told me that he still didn't want to talk to me. So I hung up and 10 minutes later my son called me back, he said hi, I started crying and I could hear in the background his mother telling him "ask him", then he says did grandma leave any money for me? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I told him no, she didn't have that much and that his grandpa was still alive. He abruptly said bye and hung up. And I haven't heard anything since. All my letters I send to him I get no reply, I assume she is just throwing them away.

 
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October 3, 2008, 5:41 pm PDT

There are just to few of you....

Quote From: getrdonemo

I spent 20+ years in the military, 6 years in Law Enforcement, and worked as a contractor overseas on government contracts....all the while, providing a home for my then wife and children.  Me ex and I separated for 8 months in 2003-2004.  During that time she went to child support enforcement and concocted some wild farse stating I didnt pay for the childrens support.  A child support order was signed by a judge.  We got back together and were together until 2007.  From 2004 to 2007 I bought a home We lived there, myself, her and the kids.  While living there, I worked off and on overseas and my checks were direct deposited into a joint account that she used because we were "a family".  Now...child support enforcement has come out and said I owe approximately 45,000.00 in back child support.  I took documentation to the child support enforcement division and showed it to them "PROVING" my children lived with me and I supported them i.e. bank records, school records, a copy of the deed to our home with both my ex's name and mine on it, affidavits from neighbors, friends and relatives....all proving that I supported my children.   And to date.....NOTHING has been investigated by the child support division...and the arrears continue to grow!!!  I guess I will just hold out my hands and tell local law enforcement....."well, lock me up"!!  I was, am and always will be a responsible father to my children but I will be damned if I let a "broken system" railroad me.    Hmmmmmm retired Marine, former law enforcement and a contractor working on US State Department contracts.....yep....a real deadbeat I am!!!  Where in the hell is the justice for those who deserve it???
The problem that responsible good father have today is that there are just not enough of you around. (Sad to say.) For this all of you seem to get hung for some of the other men's actions or lack of...
I  first thought I was going insane ,thought because I am from a different county (Germany) a different back round and upbringing that I just don't seem to understand what was going on with my ex, or this court system. I read your 'story' and I feel bad.You are doing all the right things ,have all the right intentions and you loose out. It is not fair. I feel for you. Do not give up, stay who you are, because god knows we need more REAL men like you out there., not only for females like us,but for the younger male generations who seem to have far more of the wrong idols and male adults in their lifes, that teach them all the wrong things. More men like you need to be visible for kids like my son ,so that they can see what a real man should be and how to live a responsible good life.I wish you luck and hope nothing but the best for you and your children.
Stay strong.......

 
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October 3, 2008, 5:44 pm PDT

I WOULD LIKE TO DEBATE THE LAWYER ON THE SHOW

HOW DARE THAT WOMAN LAWYER SIT THERE AND SAY THAT CRAP I'M A WOMAN AND I WILL TELL YOU A FEW THINGS I 'M GOING TO SIGN UP FOR LAW SCHOOL MONDAY BECAUSE LISTEN TO THIS STORY. IN 1998 I MET MY CURRENT HUSBAND WE WERE BOTH GOING THROUGH A DIVORCE AT THE TIME HE HAD A SON WITH HIS WIFE AND I HAD 2 DAUGHTERS WELL IN THE MITS OF ALL HIS THIS EX OF HIS PLAYED SOME DIRTY TRICKS HERE IS A LIST OF THEM

1. ALIENTATED HIS SON FROM HIM ILLEGAL VISISTATION INTERFENCE AFTER ANOTHER

2. LIED TO JUDGES GOT RESTRAINING ORDERS

3. CALLED WELFARE AND LIED

4. MADE FALSE POLICE REPORTS

5. BURNED THE SON WITH CIGARETTES AND WHIPPED HIM WITH SWITCHES

6. HAD SEX WITH HIM IN THE SAME BED

7. TIED HIM TO THE PORCH SO HE COULDN'T LEAVE THE YARD

8. LOCKED HIM IN HIS ROOM

9. KICKED OUR NEWBORN DAUGHTERS OUT OF THERE BOUNCER AND SAID MY MOMMY TOLD ME TO DO IT SO I DIDN'T HAVE TO COME BACK YOU WOULDN'T LET ME

OH WAIT HE WAS 1 WHEN THIS STARTED

THEN SHE CALLED AFTER SIX YEARS OF THIS CRYING SHE COUDN'T HANDLE HIM IN SCHOOL HELP HER I WILL GIVE YOU JOINT CUSTODY BLAH BLAH WELL IN THE END SHE WAS ARRESTED FOR CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT AND SOLICITATION TO COMMIT MURDER OF MY HUSBAND WHILE THE CHILD WAS IN OUR CARE SHE PAID SOMEONE MONEY AND THE COURTS GAVE HER SIX MONTHS IN JAIL AND SIX MONTHS PROBATION WHOOPEE WOW AND THEN SHE GETS OUT AND THE JUDGE HAD THE NERVE TO TELL US THE CRIME WASN'T AGAINST THE CHILD SHE STILL HAD RIGHTS TO SEE HIM AFTER TWO YEARS SO THEN SHE CALLED WELFARE AND GOT ANOTHER RESTRAINING ORDER YEARS OF THIS GOING ON WHAT ABOUT THE CHILD AND ALL THE UNFOUNDED REPORTS AFTER THAT SHE HADN'T SEEN HIM IN TWO YEARS WHEN WE WENT BACK TO COURT AND SHOWED THE JUDGE IT WAS ANOTHER LIE AND THEN WHEN WE ASKED FOR CHILD SUPPORT SHE WANTED TO SEE HIM AGAIN AFTER THAT CRAP THEN SHE DECIDED AFTER 4 YEARS SHE WAS GOING TO SIGN OFF ALL RIGHTS TO HIM AND BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T WANT TO PAY WOW YOU WANT TO TELL ME THAT WOMAN DIDN'T USE THIS PRECIOUS INNOCENT CHILD AS A WEAPON A PAWN A TOOL AGAINST THE FATHER AND ALIENATE HIM THROUGH ALL THIS I LOST MY TWIN SON BECAUSE OF THE STRESS AND HAD A COMPLETE HYSTERECTOMY AND THE COURTS WON'T HELP US NOT EVEN WITH LAWYERS FEES NOTHING OVER 50000.00 LATER AND A MESSED UP CHILD THAT HAS FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS BI POLAR MANIC DEPRESSIVE AND SHE GETS TO WALK AWAY SAD ISN'T IT. SO LET ME HERE ANOTHER ONE LAWYERS LIE AND GO BEHIND YOUR BACK TO GET THERE MONEY ROB YOU CLEAN AND CHASE YOU FOR MONEY THEY DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE CHILDREN. SO NOW AFTER YEARS OF DOING THIS ON MY OWN AND SEEING HOW MEN GET TREATED AND THESE INNOCENT CHILDREN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER I WILL PUT MYSELF THROUGH COLLEGE TO HELP THEM AND HELP PEOPLE THAT ARE HONEST AND BEING ALIENTATED FROM THERE CHILDREN AND HELP THOSE CHILDREN GET HELP THEY REALLY NEED FROM THESE PYSCHO WOMAN OUT THERE AND WAKE THESE JUDGES UP THAT MOTHERS DON'T ALWAYS DESERVE CUSTODY OF THERE CHILDREN. SO TAKE THAT TO THE BANK I HAVE ALL THE LEGAL PAPERWORK TO PROVE EVERYTHING I HAVE JUST SAID SO ASK ME. THAT LAWYER NEEDS TO SEE REAL WORLD OUT HERE AND SHUT HER MOUTH. THANK YOU FOR READING TONYA D. McGREGOR

 

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October 3, 2008, 5:44 pm PDT

I'VE WAITED OVER 20 YEARS FOR THIS!

I didn't discover that my daughter had been subjected to hypnotic sessions by my ex-husband and his wife until she was leaving for college. He had refused to let me take her out of the country on an assignment unless I agreed to her staying a year with them. She came back distant toward me - but I put that down to typical teenage behavior - as did everyone around us. It wasn't until she was leaving for college that she mentioned the hypnotic sessions. She has refused ever to discuss them - and has remained extremely cold toward me - barely contacts me, etc..

I know I was a good mother. And I always wanted her to have a healthy relationship with her father - but my trust in him was betrayed. It resulted in my loosing my daughter. The sad moral of this story is - don't trust in the goodness of ex-spouses - or their new partners.
 
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