Alec Baldwin Writes about Parental Alienation

Award-winning actor and current star of 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin's well-chronicled divorce from Academy-Award-winning actress, Kim Basinger, and subsequent vindictive and acidic custody battle for their daughter, Ireland, is chronicled in his new book, A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey through Fatherhood and Divorce, (St Martin's Press, $24.95)

Baldwin and Basinger appeared to be the ideal Hollywood couple when they married in 1993, and after the arrival of their daughter, Ireland, in 1995, were soon elevated to "perfect glamorous family" status.

This was shattered with their surprising separation in 2000 and later their hostile divorce in 2002. Then began one of the most well-covered and vicious custody battles on record, and Baldwin describes his own pain and anguish as he struggled every day, like so many other short-changed parents, for equal time with his daughter who was being methodically turned against him by her mother.

Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is described by leading expert, Dr Richard Warshak in his seminal book, Divorce Poison, as a deliberate and concerted campaign by one parent to turn their children against the other parent by bad mouthing, bashing and brainwashing, in an effort to alienate them and sever their relationship.

Alec Baldwin writes with passion about his nightmarish experience of divorce poison that pushed him to the brink emotionally, professionally and financially. He makes the point that in addition to systematic alienation, non-custodial parents (often fathers) are forced to reluctantly leave their children behind, because of the blatant bias of judges, lawyers and court-appointed therapists.

He cites a big reason for writing the book is because, "There is.... enough injustice, inefficiency and corruption within the system to compel us as a society to closely examine what is being perpetrated on innocent men and women." Baldwin was further humiliated by the media coverage of the angry, irritated voice mail left for his daughter who repeatedly failed to answer his prearranged phone calls.

On a brighter note, Baldwin reports that relations are currently much better with his daughter, and will continue to be so, as long as her mother stays out of the father/daughter relationship.

This is a sincere, engrossing and very personal account of PAS and divorce poison, and is a useful guide and rallying cry for the many divorced parents who are going through less public but just as devastating custody battles and spiteful ex-spouses. Co-parenting after separation and divorce should ideally be more about the child, with both parents promoting healthy child-parental relationships, and putting aside their own conflict and need for revenge.

Read Alec Baldwin's book to learn firsthand about Parental Alienation, and check out Dr Warshak's Divorce Poison for more information on identifying the warning signs of parental alienation and excellent advice on how to deal with it.

About the Author

Sheen Berg, a blended family coach, enjoys writing articles for the FREE StepHeroes Newsletter. To subscribe, visit http://www.About-Blended-Families.com. Her original version of this article and links about "Divorce Poison" are found at: http://www.blended-families.com/stephero/alec-baldwin-parental-alienation.php

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