Thursday, January 14, 2010

Alienated dads

I have started this blog because my husband and I have been through hell over a 3+ year lawsuit for access/custody of his daughters. They were 10 and 11 when this started and we saw them occsionally, despite their mother trying to prevent their having ANY relationship with their dad. Now, thanks to the so-called Family Law system, we are completely alienated from them. Both kids rarely go to school and are failing everything, the youngest has cut her arms and is an illegal drug user (she's now 14), the other one (now 16) has been drugged (legally!!) since the age of 12 when she was put on anti-depressants, then anti-psychotics, and then both! The courts have twice issued Court Orders directing help for these kids and greater, regular access to their father but the mother totally ignores the Orders. There has been no enforcement and we have spent over $80,000 in legal fees.

I am an anthropologist and seek to collect information from people who have experienced similar situations so that I may expose this serious dismissal of dads in our society. The kids as well as their fathers, are suffering and this exclusion of fathers from parenting has huge social effects. Please comment and tell me your stories, first names are fine, as I certainly want to keep your identities anonymous.

My hope is to bring help to kids and dads and end the active legal discrimination against worthy fathers. I am in Canada but am interested in your stories from everywhere.
Hope to hear from you.