CULLMAN – It is not an uncommon occurrence to see a child put in the middle of a marital dispute, and one parent pitting their child against the other parent. To shine a light on the damage caused by situations like these, Mayor Max Townson declared April 19-25 as Parental Alienation Prevention Week.
Parental Alienation or hostile aggressive parenting deprives children of their right to be freely loved by both parents and the right of expressing love for both of their parents.
Wendy Archer, co-founder and officer of Parental Alienation Awareness Organization USA, spoke about the seriousness of this form of abuse.
"Parental alienation is when one parent tries to damage or destroy the relationship a child has with the other parent. Parental alienation can be mild, moderate or severe. It's a form of child abuse that causes extreme emotional harm and trauma."
Alabama Family Rights Association (ALFRA) is working hard to preserve, promote and protect family relationships. This is why they are asking everyone to participate in their annual Bubbles of Love day on April 25.
The idea is simple, but helps to remind people of the unconditional loving and innocent nature of a child, and how that precious nature should be preserved. According to the Director of ALFRA, Kenneth Paschal, regardless of marital status and differences between those parents, a child should never be coerced to reject a loving parent.
Each bubble we blow will represent the love our children have and should be allowed to share with both their parents,” said Paschal.
“Please join us for this important community campaign. Children should be encouraged to freely love both parents regardless of their parents’ marital status.”
