Fighting Over the Kids

Battered spouses take aim at a controversial custody strategy.

« Return to Article

Discuss

Member Comments

  • Posted By: momjames @ 10/09/2009 9:44:19 AM

    my brother who molested when I was 6 NY courts gave temp Custody of my son and now is going to trial;
    he was found guilty for second degree sexual assault from some one other then me. and has abused others to.
    It is like they don't even hear what I am sating how can this be.
    please any ideas who to call that may be able to help. I feel like I am getting no where real fast.
    they are leaving it up to the child who is disabled. are they just going to what till something happens

  • Posted By: momjames @ 10/09/2009 9:44:02 AM

    my brother who molested when I was 6 NY courts gave temp Custody of my son and now is going to trial;
    he was found guilty for second degree sexual assault from some one other then me. and has abused others to.
    It is like they don't even hear what I am sating how can this be.
    please any ideas who to call that may be able to help. I feel like I am getting no where real fast.
    they are leaving it up to the child who is disabled. are they just going to what till something happens.

  • Posted By: sunrose @ 08/16/2008 12:43:44 AM

    Frankly, any judge who punishes a woman who comes forward with legitimate complaints of DV by taking her kids away from her should be disbarred and the man who perpetrated the DV and lied should be jailed for perjury.

    • Posted By: 1sadad @ 03/25/2009 2:28:50 PM

      Yeah right... most of you women who alienate children from their fathers have no place on this earth 99.9% of these worthless mothers do alienate the children with out thinking how much damage they do to the kids just because they want to get back at their husbands . Look at the Malakov case in NY where that mental mother had the father who got custody shot in front of their daughter and then lied to the jury and the court that even dough she was 10 feet alway from the father she claims "she did not hear the shots " I was on the jury and the stone cold look in her eyes was the look of a killer! she got life yeah!!!
      now what the poor child had no parents !

      as for you sunrose you sound like one of those mental *** your self

  • Posted By: MichaelClaymore @ 08/14/2008 6:18:46 AM

    One of the commenters writes???

    ???Dr, Gardner the inventor of this theory was a known pedophile and stabbed himself to death.???
    There is no evidence that this man was a known pedophile, and I can only assume that the mention of his suicide is included to support the accusation by suggesting that he killed himself over being a pedophile. The fact is Gardner killed himself because he was suffering from a painful form of dystrophy and could no longer tolerate the pain. This is also a case of what is known as Ad Hominem- an attack on the man in order to discredit his argument. Even if Gardner had been a pedophile that would have no bearing on the veracity or otherwise of his theory, only on his motivation for putting it forward.

    As to Sarah Childdress??? article???

    ???This year the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges denounced the theory as "junk science,"???
    What the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges thinks is no more relevant than what the man on the street thinks- they are not psychologists or scientists and hence are in no position to determine what is and is not ???junk Science??? Their declaration is however in keeping with the anti-male bias of this article and so it???s inclusion is no surprise.


    ???It may seem hard to fathom how a judge could award custody to a parent accused of abuse.???
    Your writer seems to think that just because someone has been accused of something they must be kept from their children. In cases where the parent has been convicted, fair enough, but an accusation is not enough.
    I also feel that in the interests of full disclosure Ms Childress should have mentioned that Geraldine Stahly is a well-known campaigner in this area- she is not simply some academic with a dispassionate interest in these matters. After all, Ms Childress points out that Dan Hogan is ???executive director of Fathers & Families, a nonprofit group that advocates for joint custody,??? hence clearly stating that he is on one particular side of the debate, yet we are not told that Stahly is firmly entrenched on the other side of the fence.

    • Posted By: verylonelymom @ 08/25/2008 8:24:14 AM

      Here ya go...a quote from the pedophile himself:


      ''What I am against is the excessively moralistic and punitive reaction that many members of our society have toward pedophiles ... (going) far beyond what I consider to be the gravity of the crime.''

      "...there is a bit of pedophilia in every one of us."

      Sex Abuse Hysteria: Salem Witch Trials Revisited
      Creskill, NJ, Creative Therapeutics, 1991. p. 118.

      RICHARD A. GARDNER, M.D.
      Popularized "PAS" PARENTAL ALIENATION SYNDROME,
      a "diagnosis" generally applied to mothers who accuse fathers
      CREATIVE THERAPEUTICS
      Cresskill, NJ

      • Posted By: 1sadad @ 03/25/2009 1:54:35 PM

        all of you pedophile should be hung and skinned alive! and then shot!

    • Posted By: verylonelymom @ 09/08/2008 8:39:57 AM

      Here are just a few more of the outrageous statements that Richard Gardner has written in his own books published by his own vanity press:

      "Pertinent to my theory here is that pedophilia also serves procreative purposes. Obviously, it does not serve such purposes on the immediate level in that children cannot become pregnant nor can they make others pregnant."

      When a child has been sexually abused and feels guilt about it, Gardner suggests, the child may be helped to appreciate that "sexual encounters between an adult and a child are not universally considered to be reprehensible acts. The child might be told about other societies in which such behavior was and is considered normal." If sexual urges continue after the abuse ends, Gardner suggests such children be encouraged to masturbate.

      As for the alienating mother, Gardner suggests that vibrators can be useful and "one must try to overcome any inhibition she may have with regard to their use."
      . . . . An apparent benefit of the mother's use of a vibrator is that "her diminished guilt over masturbation will make it easier for her to encourage the practice in her daughter, if this is warranted." With this imagined solution, Gardner believes, the mother's "increased sexuality may lessen the need for her husband to return to their daughter for sexual gratification."

      All of the above quotes are from Gardner's self-published True and False Accusations of Child Sex Abuse: A Guide for Legal and Mental Health Professionals, Creative Therapeutics, 1992, as reprinted in Ralph Underwager's self-published journal "Issues in Child Abuse Accusations", Spring 1993, pp. 115-118, under the title "A Theory About the Variety of Human Sexual Behavior" and Richard A. Gardner, M.D. , The Parental Alienation Syndrome (1992).

    • Posted By: verylonelymom @ 08/26/2008 8:45:10 AM

      ''What I am against is the excessively moralistic and punitive reaction that many members of our society have toward pedophiles ... (going) far beyond what I consider to be the gravity of the crime.''

      "...there is a bit of pedophilia in every one of us."

      Sex Abuse Hysteria: Salem Witch Trials Revisited
      Creskill, NJ, Creative Therapeutics, 1991. p. 118.

      That is ISBN 0933812221 for the pedophile's book (see his own quote above)

  • Posted By: 1sadad @ 03/25/2009 1:51:54 PM

    An old pedophile moved in your area , how do you like having your children around some one like that! The pedophile Dolores Leonard madison st., Sag Harbor NY who has abused her own adopted kids is living next door to you.
    We must protect our children at any cost !
    BEWARE!

  • Posted By: 1sadad @ 01/29/2009 11:20:03 AM

    All these no good for nothing mothers who alienate the kids from their fathers should be tied to a whipping post and whipped like the the scum they are !
    Don't these worthless cunts see that the only ones that get hurt are the "kids" It's about time the Courts see thru all of the lies when a mother starts lieing in Court they just don't stop and after a while every one see's that! These women and I hate to call them women because they are lower then the lowest SCUM on this planet. They need to be jailed for the "alienation" and the mental damage they cause the children.

  • Posted By: AndrewEss @ 09/10/2008 9:46:01 PM

    verylonelymom~ I find your discussion of Gardner interesting but certainly not contextually accurate, nevertheless we as individuals may choose words, sentences or parts thereof that suit or fit our position.

    By the same token alienation which is the thrust of his main argument by your same contextual innaccuracy would be what ! The result of sexual abuse ! If this is the case, then we should have according to the doctrine by which you ascribe 73 million males who have produced 2.1 children of which 70 % sexual abuse their children. I can see why we need to chemically restrain a lot of children for many years from reliving these memories.
    http://www.ipt-forensics.com/library/alleged.htm

  • Posted By: AndrewEss @ 09/03/2008 9:52:10 PM

    I am currently going through my second round of judicial interference with custody, with orders generated without due process. Appointments of professionals with judges orders to steal whats left of my resources and a GAL that wouldn't know or tell the truth if it got up and bit her. I am ashamed to see a legal system that has basically devolved into pimping women and children. As for my legal position there is nothing I can do, they can do and say as they please, manipulate law and throw me in jail if I can't comply. What did I do wrong, nothing, nada, I just happen to be a divorced dad with a vindictive Psychotic former spouse who lives well on my involuntary socialism and abuses the children along with the GAL.
    As for the ABA report, it is a can of political worms that are there for the benefit of itself, it has no standing under scrutiny. Anyone know a lawyer that can help, I need one soon and quick ! Especially to prevent these people from alienating me from my children.

    A link here that dispels the argument.
    http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/RADARreport-Myths-of-ABA-Commission-on-DV-Summary.pdf
    I suggest you download it and see for yourself.
    The originating site is www.mediaradar.org.

  • Posted By: 1sadad @ 09/03/2008 10:19:56 AM

    Yes its very sad that some of these law gaurdians like Steve Ranallone here in Westchester county really don't care about the children and lie for the one perant whom consantly puts him up to it he lied to the Appellate court last year even after calling me and knowing that the children were in school after I got sole custody last Sept/07 he lies to the children telling them to say what ever your mother tells you to say
    even after the mother lied to the law gaurdian abd he knew that he still went to Appellate court and lied for her there is a good reason why the Judge gave me sole custody after 2 year trial. The mother was brought up by an abuser her self that old lier molested her and the brother both were adopted, maybe thats why people like that can do horrible thing to children. The mother had kidnapped the kids from me and their home and why do I as a father have to pay the price of being alienated from my kids who love me and want to be with me.

  • Posted By: 1sadad @ 09/03/2008 10:03:36 AM

    How true it is that a mother could turn the kids against their father even when it was proven in court that the mother has no credit to her claims that she has lied over and over 3 years now to the court , cps , law guardian forensic doctor whon been influanced & possibly bribed she commited fraud by forging the deed to our home and putting the home for sale with her fraud of a mother how is a realestate broker (Dolores Leonard ) stole kids money from their bank accounts violated number of court orders

  • Posted By: donnadd @ 09/02/2008 9:18:04 PM

    With regard to deshepard... You must be living under a rock. Come and jopin the 21 century, where the momeyed spouse gets the kids. Here in Westchester Cnty NY we have law gaurdians like Therese Malach Esq and Tammy Goldberg, who are all for the men and the money, and could not care less about the children. Smoke another cigarette Malach!!!

  • Posted By: donnadd @ 09/02/2008 9:14:13 PM

    With regard to deshepard's comment of 8/28/08, Where do you reside. You seem to be living under a rock... come to Westchester county NY, ans meet the likes of Therese Malach Esq. and see how many families she has destroyed due to her bias against women/ the non-moneyed spouses.

  • Posted By: deshepherd @ 08/27/2008 12:25:10 PM

    "There are literally thousands of mothers losing custody to their ex-abusers."

    Sorry, but I seriously doubt this. I also seriously doubt that anyone can provide one siigle credible, objective shred of evidence to support a statement like this. Anyone who believes that our nation's so-called "family courts" are biased in favor of fathers is simply out of touch with reality, much like this article is.

    • Posted By: verylonelymom @ 08/29/2008 4:27:24 PM

      There are so many mothers losing custody to their abusers that there is a national conference on it every year:

      http://www.batteredmotherscustodyconference.org/

      Many, many thousands are loosing custody to their batterers. Now how can that be good for the children, especially when the children witness the abuse??

  • Posted By: MaMaBear1968 @ 08/25/2008 10:45:23 PM

    Under the list of things your batterer will say to you if you leave him or try to, #2 is "I'll tell the judge you're a bad mother; you'll lose custody of the kids." I used to think that was a threat.....5 months later I learned otherwise, and I'm not alone. There are literally thousands of mothers losing custody to their ex-abusers. NOT the "good" fathers who share EQUALLY parenting costs or cares. It's the dad's that want the mother out of their child's life to "pay her back" for leaving him. It's the abusive drunk ones who drink and drive with their kids, threaten their kids they will take away toys or pets. OH....and the #1 on the list of things your batterer will say to you is "If I can't have you, NO ONE WILL". Thankfully, I believed that one.

  • Posted By: MaMaBear1968 @ 08/25/2008 10:45:06 PM

    Under the list of things your batterer will say to you if you leave him or try to, #2 is "I'll tell the judge you're a bad mother; you'll lose custody of the kids." I used to think that was a threat.....5 months later I learned otherwise, and I'm not alone. There are literally thousands of mothers losing custody to their ex-abusers. NOT the "good" fathers who share EQUALLY parenting costs or cares. It's the dad's that want the mother out of their child's life to "pay her back" for leaving him. It's the abusive drunk ones who drink and drive with their kids, threaten their kids they will take away toys or pets. OH....and the #1 on the list of things your batterer will say to you is "If I can't have you, NO ONE WILL". Thankfully, I believed that one.

  • Posted By: deshepherd @ 08/19/2008 7:23:30 AM

    Gee you don't think that there are some women who make false claims of abuse in order to hurt their former spouse and/or get more money out of the divorce, do you? No woman would ever do that, would they?

    From:
    http://deceiver.com/2008/07/30/heather-millss-rep-confirms-abuse-tapes-were-imaginary/

    Michele Elyzabeth, who was Heather Mills???s press rep for four years before she had enough, confirmed to Access Hollywood that her client never really had those video tapes of Paul McCartney being abusive toward her.

    She told US news show Access Hollywood: ???I really don???t believe she did (have the video).

    ???I was close enough and I heard a couple of conversations. Now that I know what I know, I don???t really think that Paul really went after her for anything.

    ???She had basically nothing - she had tapes of her being in the studio with him, her being on the road with him, private moments.

    ???She told me a bunch of stuff??? (but) I don???t see him being a violent person.???

    In case you didn???t follow the divorce mess too closely, Mills once claimed she had ten tapes that showed Sir Paul behaving badly, including one situation where he called her a ???one-legged bitch.??? (No comment.)

    She threatened to show the sensational evidence to the court but mysteriously never did.

    Now we know why.

  • Posted By: dclara5 @ 08/17/2008 11:40:33 AM

    After reading the above article, i would like to comment how abominable are the excuses and harsh decision court psychologists come up with to be able to deffend mother. I am a mother too, but i am a firm believer that most fathers in this Country have been treated in a very unfair way. First of all, with no offense to women these days, most who claim to have been battered do not make so much sense as in the past, when most women were skinnier, kinder, and willing to promote peace in the home. Nowdays, as revengeful and unreconciable as they are, they can squash their husbands, grind them into powder, if they want to! It is an awful tragedy to see so much condescendency by those who should give fathers a fair judgement as well. If they did so, children would automatically be happier, haven't they noticed it already?! Children do love their fathers dealy...sometimes more than the mothers due to the very fact that they are wise enough to see injustice being done to their dads. Lets not think that children do not perceive whose the bad guy most of the time!

  • Posted By: deshepherd @ 08/17/2008 7:03:34 AM

    The following excerpt is from: http://www.drphil.com/articles/article/242

    Post-Divorce Parenting Mistakes and Strategies

    The divorce rate in the United States is estimated by some statisticians to be close to 50 percent. What this means is that millions of parents in America and their children are wrestling with significant problems and needs.

    Post-divorce parenting is fraught with danger, danger that you will inadvertently do damage on top of what the divorce has already done. To help you recognize mistakes you may be making and to avoid mistakes you're prone to make, Dr. Phil lists some of the biggest and most frequent mistakes those in your situation typically make:

    Sabotaging your child's relationship with the other parent.

    Using your child as a pawn to "get back at" or hurt your ex.

    Using your child to gain information or to manipulate and influence your ex.


    Uh... Dr. Phil, doesn't this sound an awful lot like parental alienation?

  • Posted By: deshepherd @ 08/16/2008 9:18:13 PM

    As for whether or not some women will lie about abuse in order to gain the upper hand in divorce/child custody proceedings, consider the following excerpt from:
    http://www.wvrecord.com/news/202143-victims-of-false-domestic-violence-reporting-detail-experiences

    "The release of a study indicating that most of the petitions for domestic violence protection orders may be used for leverage in a divorce or child custody proceeding comes as cold comfort to those who've experienced it firsthand."
    "The first study was an analysis of all petitions for domestic violence protective orders filed in Cabell County Family Court during the 2006 calendar year. According the study, 76 percent of all petitions are dismissed."

    Not long after this article was printed, the West Virginia state legislature passed a bill that will reduce false allegations of child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and parental interference. Courts will be able to grant compensatory parenting time and even reverse primary custody in cases where a parent has a history of making false allegations of child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and in doing so interferes with the parenting time of the accused parent.

    Still think that PAS doesn't exist?

  • Posted By: deshepherd @ 08/16/2008 8:47:08 PM

    My favorite comment on the existence of PAS comes from a female commentator, Kathleen Parker, who said "anybody old enough to drink coffee knows that embittered divorcees can and do manipulate their children. Not just women, but men, too."

    Parental Alienation is a form of child abuse, plain and simple. Anyone who states that this doesn't happen is either a liar or completely out of touch with reality.

Reply

Report Abuse

Enter comments if any for reporting abuse