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ThuApr 25

Parental Alienation Awareness Day – April 25, 2024

Parental Alienation Awareness Day, observed on April 25 every year, is nothing but a special day to raise awareness about parental alienation. Did you know that parental alienation can be a form of child abuse? Yes, parental alienation, sometimes called Hostile Aggressive Parenting, can be a form of child abuse according to the behavior of a parent or an adult a child trusts, such as a grandmother/father, aunt, uncle, or anyone close to the child, knowingly or unknowingly creating alienation in the relationship between the child and them. But what exactly is parental alienation, and what is this Parental Alienation Awareness Day about? Read on to know more.

History of Parental Alienation Awareness Day

Parental Alienation Awareness Day (P.A.A.D.), observed in the U.S.A, Canada, and Bermuda, is a special day created as a part of a global awareness campaign about parental alienation. Parental Alienation Awareness Day every April 25 aims to highlight to parents and other caregivers the effects that parental alienation could have on their children and educate adults to identify signs that either they or someone close to the child are behaving in a manner that could affect the children. Usually, parental alienation happens when one caregiver attempts to turn a child against another caregiver. This is often done to persuade the child and to exclude the other parent from the child’s life.

Some of the most common types of behavior displayed by parents include: constantly badmouthing the other parent, limiting or minimizing the other parent’s contact, forbidding the child from talking about or discussing the other parent, faking an expression that the other parent dislikes or that they do not love the child, and trying to force the child to reject the parent to make the other distant. Parental alienation may cause terrible psychological damage to the children that can last long after they’ve become adults.

Sarvy Emo, from Canada, created the idea for Parental Alienation Awareness Day (P.A.A.D.). Emo established this day in late 2005, with the original date on March 28. Later, a year after its establishment, the date was changed to April 25 for marketing reasons.

Parental Alienation Awareness Day timeline

1980s
The Term is Coined

The term ‘Parental alienation’ is coined by psychiatrist Richard Gardner.

2005
The First P.A.A.D.

Sarvy Emo establishes Parental Alienation Awareness Day in Canada.

2006
The Date Gets a Change

Due to marketing reasons, the initial date of P.A.A.D. is changed to April 25.

2020s
Parental Alienation Awareness Becomes Huge

People across the globe become aware of parental alienation and its effects.

Parental Alienation Awareness Day FAQs

How do I reconnect with an alienated child?

You can start by refraining from putting the child amid conflict. You should also refrain from trying to blame the alienating parent — turn enemies into allies.

Can a child recover from parental alienation?

Yes, they absolutely can. It is all about restoring relationships for the benefit of the family as a whole. Both the targeted parent and the children can recover from the effects of parental alienation.

What are signs of parental alienation?

Weak, frivolous, and absurd rationalizations, lack of ambivalence, absence of guilt, borrowed phrases and scenarios, rejection of extended family, and a campaign of denigration might be signs of parental alienation.

How to Observe Parental Alienation Awareness Day

  1. Spread the word

    The best thing you can do to celebrate Parental Alienation Awareness Day is to spread the word about parental alienation. Talk to your friends, family, and colleagues and educate them.

  2. Help a parent

    If you know a parent who is alienated from their children, do your best to help. You can call them, sit down with them or take them out and listen to their problems.

  3. Donate to the cause

    You can go online to find organizations that offer counseling and other support for targeted parents and families suffering from parental alienation. You can also share your story on social media.

5 Facts About Parental Alienation

  1. Criticism might be a sign

    A child constantly and unfairly criticizing a parent can be a sign of parental alienation.

  2. It's not fully internalized

    Alienation is not fully internalized even by the most rejecting child.

  3. The personality of alienating parents

    Alienating parents tend to have personality disorders such as narcissism.

  4. The long-term effects

    Long-term effects of parental alienation might even lead to drug and alcohol abuse and low achievement.

  5. Children might grow differently

    Children with parental alienation don’t experience feelings of guilt for the harsh treatment.

Why Parental Alienation Awareness Day is Important

  1. We need this day

    Parental Alienation Awareness Day is not just about raising funds and donating to organizations to help the children in need. The day is all about letting the world know about this pressing problem.

  2. It helps a child or parent

    Parental alienation is extremely harmful to the child’s emotional and mental health. By celebrating this day, we raise awareness about these ill effects on parents and potentially save the child.

  3. It helps us get involved

    Although all of us have a soft spot in our hearts for children, most of the time we don’t take any action because we have no clue how to help them. P.A.A.D. enables us to help them.

Parental Alienation Awareness Day dates

YearDateDay
2024April 25Thursday
2025April 25Friday
2026April 25Saturday
2027April 25Sunday
2028April 25Tuesday

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