It seems that just about every day on the calendar is now associated with some sort of celebration, honor or awareness campaign. Some designated days remain incredibly relevant, like World AIDS Day, while others are less so… National Doughnut Day comes to mind. Because there are so many “days” that pass, you are likely not aware of each that remains uniquely important.

For example, late last month Parental Alienation Awareness Day was observed. Although this subject is relevant and pressing, many Americans are unfamiliar with it and with its day of observation. Thankfully, the lessons that the day of observation seeks to educate the public about remain just as relevant on any day of the year.

Parental Alienation is a phenomenon that occurs when one parent behaves in ways that significantly and unreasonably damage a child’s relationship with his or her other parent. Parents may engage in any number of behaviors in order to alienate their child or children from the other parent in their life. As a result, every parental alienation case is unique.

It is important to understand that the family legal system does not generally tolerate parental alienation. If it is determined that a parent is significantly alienating a child from his or her other fit parent, the child’s custody and/or parental placement schedule may be affected as a result. If you have questions about this phenomenon, please do not hesitate to speak with an attorney experienced in cases involving parental alienation. This topic should be explored and should influence the behaviors of divorced parents throughout the year.

Source: The Huffington Post, “Parental Alienation Following Divorce: Too Easily Rationalized or Overlooked,” Rosalind Sedacca, May 7, 2015