Digging Into Kids' Alienation

I have written frequently about parental alienation syndrome, a term used primarily in child-custody cases. Parental alienation syndrome (PAS) happens when one parent alienates or brainwashes a child against the other parent.

Therapists realize PAS may be present when the child has no ambivalence, no discomfort at all vilifying or demonizing the parent he or she has been taught to hate. The child will say things like, "My parent is always selfish, only cares about themselves, never even tries to be fair to the 'good' parent."

Child Custody Caution

Why? That's the main question state Child Protective Services officials must answer in probing the death of a 9-year-old Montcalm County boy, who was left in the care of an admitted child abuser.

Why was the child left with a father who recently admitted abusing his two older sons and was facing jail time for that crime? Why was he left in the home over objections from the local prosecutor's office and seeming common sense?

Man Charged, Allegedly Took Girl to Arizona

Sauk County authorities filed charges against a Wisconsin Dells man after police say he took a 13-year-old girl to Arizona.

On Wednesday, the Sauk County district attorney filed a complaint in Sauk County Circuit Court charging Christian Miranda Alcantara, 19, with a count of interfering with child custody.

Diffusing Explosive Family Court Battles

In the emotionally charged aftermath of divorce or separation, parents sometimes find themselves locked in battle over the stupidest things.

“My son wanted to go to skateboarding camp,” said Jill, a divorced mom of two from Bristol. “It was on the same week he was supposed to go with his father to my former in-laws' place upstate for a family reunion. By the time we got done fighting over it, he missed the camp and the picnic.”

US Wants India to Sign Treaty on Child Abduction

The United States wants India to sign a multilateral treaty on child abduction that will help tackle cases where parents' non-compatibility leads to child trauma and forcible separation from one of his or her parent - at times across continents.

The Americans are insisting on India signing the treaty as it states that in case of a child custody dispute, the case should be heard in a court with jurisdiction over the habitual residence of child. This, in most of the 45 cases - which involve a total of 55 children - cited by American officials, would mean a court in the US.

New Office to Aid Oglala in Child-Custody Proceedings

A new Oglala Sioux Tribe office in Rapid City has a simple goal: Keeping Native American children with relatives or native foster parents. "The whole idea is to try to keep them with family," said Juanita Scherick, director of the tribe's ONTRAC, or Oglala Nation Tiospaye Resource and Advocacy Center, program. "I think that's what we all want."

Child Custody Cases & What to Expect

As divorce rates continue to rise, more and more children are growing up in a single parent household. Despite the fact that a divorce legally separates the parents from one another, it is important that both remain active in their child's life. Because the welfare of a child becomes the focal point of all child custody cases, it is essential that you hire a qualified divorce attorney who specializes in this area and will work hard to see that the child's best interests are met.

Britney Spears And Parenting: A Timeline Of Tumult

It's been motherhood under a microscope for Britney Spears, who lost custody of her two children — at least temporarily — on Monday (October 1) when a judge ordered the singer to turn over her children to ex-husband Kevin Federline until further notice, effective Wednesday.

From day one, Spears has faced scorn and scrutiny for her choice of a husband — but strangely, Federline's image has now improved relative to hers. Even if Britney hasn't cracked under the pressure, the judge in her custody case isn't taking any chances when it comes to her young brood, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James. The couple's theme song used to be "Chaotic," and maybe that's part of the problem.

Family Fights Over Missing Boaters' Kids

Amid the agony of coping with two relatives missing from an abandoned boat in the Atlantic, the family of Capt. Jake Branam and his wife, Kelley, are now at odds over custody of the couple's two young children.

The dispute pits several Branam family members against the Miami Beach family's former patriarch -- Joseph Harry Branam, 76 -- who has refused to share care of the couple's 2-year-old daughter and 4-month-old son, according to Miami-Dade court papers filed Thursday and Friday.

Nanny-gate: The Plot Thickens

Speaking of people who really need a hobby - boy, are the gloves off in the Charlie Sheen-Denise Richards smackdown!

The latest salvo in the child custody tussle, according to People magazine: Sheen reveals that the FBI was "aware of" Richards' accusations that he scanned child porn (this is good news in Sheenville?).

"The FBI was aware of these issues. I provided them with every computer I owned," he says. "The computers were returned two weeks later. Haven't heard from them since. Period. The end."