International Parental Alienation Awareness Day (April 25th)
By Michael Phillips
Every year on April 25th, International Parental Alienation Awareness Day passes by with too little noise. Too little compassion. And far too many misconceptions.
Some claim the term “parental alienation” is just a manipulative tool—primarily weaponized by fathers to wrest custody away from “innocent mothers.” That it’s some PR stunt cooked up by the so-called “father’s rights movement.” That to even utter the term is to be anti-woman, anti-survivor, or anti-progress.
Let me say this clearly: that’s not just wrong—it’s cruel.
Because parental alienation is not fiction. It’s not a buzzword. It’s not a conspiracy theory. It is psychological abuse. And it’s real—painfully, devastatingly real—for the parent being erased, and the child being manipulated.
What Is Parental Alienation, Really?
At its core, parental alienation occurs when one parent—often the custodial one—actively undermines the relationship between the child and the other parent. This isn’t just badmouthing. It’s a pattern of behavior that includes:
- Blocking visitation or communication
- Making false accusations to authorities
- Coaching the child to fear or reject the other parent
- Withholding information about the child’s life
- Using guilt, shame, or manipulation to turn the child against the alienated parent
And over time, the child may internalize these messages. They may withdraw. They may act out. They may begin parroting things they don’t fully understand. And that bond—sacred and necessary between child and parent—is broken. Sometimes, permanently.
But Isn’t This Just a Custody Tactic?
That’s one of the most harmful myths. The claim that alienation is just some excuse—especially from fathers—to “win” custody.
But tell me:
What do you call it when a father like me is kept from attending school events, medical appointments, or birthdays because of contemptuous behavior and false accusations?
What do you call it when a child, once loving and joyful with their parent, suddenly says “I don’t want to see you,” with cold detachment they couldn’t have come up with on their own?
What do you call it when a child tells you that they hate you?
What do you call it when a parent has to prove they’re not an abuser, not mentally ill, not a threat—over and over again—just to get the bare minimum of contact with their own child?
It’s not a tactic. It’s not a lie.
It’s a living hell.
Parental Alienation Has No Gender
Despite the media narratives and Twitter battles, parental alienation doesn’t care about gender.
There are mothers who’ve lost their children to manipulative fathers.
There are fathers who’ve been vilified for years by vindictive exes.
There are grandparents, aunts, uncles, and step-parents who’ve been cut out of children’s lives because someone decided it was convenient or strategic.
To turn this into a gender war is to erase the experiences of every parent who isn’t part of the “expected” narrative.
Yes, women have long been victims in family courts.
Yes, domestic violence is real, serious, and deserves full attention.
But so does psychological abuse. So does the trauma of losing your child due to false accusations and malicious behavior. So does the weaponization of the courts.
And yes, men can be victims too.
Groups Like “One Mom’s Battle” Get It Wrong
I’m not here to start a fight. But I am here to tell the truth.
When organizations like One Mom’s Battle paint every claim of alienation as a covert abuse tactic, they’re ignoring the real pain of countless parents who’ve done nothing wrong—except love their children and try to stay in their lives.
Their messaging implies that only mothers are ever the protective parent. That only men lie. That only fathers use the system.
And that’s not advocacy—it’s erasure. It’s harmful. It’s dishonest.
On April 25th, Please Listen
So on this International Parental Alienation Awareness Day, I ask you:
Don’t fall for the tired narratives.
Don’t let advocacy become ideology.
Don’t pit mothers against fathers, or victims against victims.
Instead, listen to the alienated parents.
Look at the children caught in the crossfire.
Understand that parental alienation is not about gender—it’s about power, control, and loss.
And if you’ve been through it yourself—whether you’re a father, a mother, a grandparent, or a child now grown—know this:
You are not alone.
You are not crazy.
And you deserve to be heard.
#ParentalAlienationAwarenessDay
#EndParentalAlienation
#ChildrenDeserveBothParents
#ItHappensToMomsToo
#ItHappensToDadsToo
#ThisIsNotAGenderWar
Parental Alienation is not a diagnosis. The Alienation industry was started as a defense for fathers sexually assulting children. Has revolved into a lucrative anything goes unregulated and uninvestigated practice. 22 percent of the United States is made up of single parent households. These households are made up of widows, children who’s parents are incarcerated , deployed in the military as well as divorced. The entire fatherhood absence crisis is a manufacturer money maker for the states through the welfare reform act , healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood. Millions to billions of dollars are poured into the health and human services funding to promote a gender. All of the so called problems with children without another parent, prodonitly fathers in the home are ecoed by the Alienation industry. Many of these signs and symptoms are the same as children with abusive parents. For years women were labeled malicious mommy syndrome when alligations were brought to the family court. For years court system have been politically weaponized with federal funding. As well as massive donations to universities. Especially with fatherhood programs and experimental psychology programs. Convinced the country is headed for disaster because people are not getting married, divorce and out of wedlock births. The countries birth rate is falling and economists are complaining about it. So it’s not a shock that the abortion rights were over turned. The fact that women are the main party to file. It’s been a long time complaint of men’s rights groups in regards to child support and alimony. The last count $113 billion dollars in arrearage. The reporting of spousal abuse and child neglect and maltreatment have not disappeared. Neither has sexual assault. The continued focus that fathers are falsely accused of batted into abuse has been given life by the monitarty men. Who some are actually falsely accused and several have had their charges dropped never investigated, victims afraid their children will be taken away. Some who are being taught it’s a health care crisis and not a crime. Groups like Ones Mom’s battle were started out of necessities. Countless women joining and supporting because the United States of America has made little to no space for women to go to. The entire Alienation industry was started to provide a defense with a descriptive word. That descriptive word has been spread into a million hypocritical seneros taught to gain leverage at the court house. Is severing maternal bonds with children. Placing a substitute mommy or other family members to do the job. These substitute mommy have been all over social media engaging in the defemation of character of biological mothers. Engaging in custody battles that they have no legal rights to engage in. A very selfish act of self-righteousness. Encouraged by the Alienation industry to remain in power and control of the family court house. It doesn’t take a specific group of people involved in unrecognized psychology to figure out if a child is telling the truth. It takes a specific group of people to ignore eithicy and get wealthy of the court orders. When we get transparency, less financially driven government solutions and constitutional equality perhaps the war will be over. We can discuss the genuine best interest of children. Stop splitting children in half and expecting a whole person to develop a well adjusted productive member of society
I can attest that sometimes the protective parent can be a father. My own kids are being sexually abused, and I can’t get anyone to protect them. This is because a sexually perverted lawyer who has deranged views on pedophilia is involved.
Valerie Runyan Houghton claims that raping children “is not a crime” and that the only thing wrong with it is the associated stigma. She also says, “It’s not rape if they want it.”
If forcing children to be raped is not enough, Valerie also gets violently aggressive if a parent fights to get a screening for their children. I have received numerous death threats from her. You can see many of her sick sexual views and death threats on this posted PDF.
https://pdfhost.io/v/Su6QiWEU8_Valerie_Houghton_posts__1_-compressed
I strongly believe that Ms. Houghton suffers from Sexual Sadism Disorder.
“Sexual Sadism Disorder is a mental health condition characterized by deriving sexual pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others. Individuals with this disorder may engage in behaviors such as restraint, humiliation, or physical harm during sexual activities. It is classified as a paraphilia and can cause significant distress or impairment in functioning, especially if it involves non-consenting individuals. Treatment options may include therapy and counseling to manage symptoms and address underlying issues. ”
https://thekingsleyclinic.com/resources/understanding-sexual-sadism-disorder-symptoms-and-treatment/
While I don’t know if she personally participated in the sexual abuse, it is quite apparent (from her messages) that she gets off while kids are being raped. Coupled with her violent outbursts and jokes regarding the physical assaults, it is easy to come to the conclusion that Ms. Houghton suffers from the aforementioned sexual disorder.
The evidence gets stronger when you factor in that Ms. Houghton has done this to many, many other parents. Please see in the above PDF what she did to Violet Brook’s three young girls. Also see what happened to Daya Baran after he found out that his toddler was being molested by his father-in-law. https://freearianna.org/story Ms. Houghton does not deny any involvement.
You can also see some of my own injuries here: https://archive.ph/RtpYi
Ms. Houghton used to run a therapy group for transgender men. She justifies her views on child molestation as being okay because it “is part of gender identity.” She goes on to elaborate that the goal is to “mass produce transgender youth” by not protecting them.
One would think that the State Bar of California would do something.
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/state-bar-of-california-san-francisco-3?select=2g_3b11jA8GnbSAEZrKKGA
Or even the Supreme Court of California
https://pdfhost.io/v/jM.L2FJRQ_Petition_for_Review_State_Bar_decision
No one seems to care. Ms. Houghton just moved to Texas, where she continues to harm children.
https://www.valeriehoughtonmft.com/