The Door You Keep Open
The piece discusses the emotional and psychological toll of parental alienation on targeted parents, describing their grief as ambiguous loss without societal recognition. It emphasizes the complexity of reconnection with alienated children and suggests that while parents cannot force reconciliation, maintaining an open door can facilitate eventual healing and restoration of relationships when the child…
Still Here: The Intake Form
In April 2026, a father discovers his son Dylan has been in therapy for a year without his knowledge. Following the separation from Dylan’s mother, he gained access to the therapy process, emphasizing the importance of parental involvement in mental health care. The father expresses his commitment and desires for his son’s growth through therapy.
One Day, Seven Cases: A Court Watcher’s Portrait of Judge Vivian Wang
Judge Vivian Wang, newly appointed in San Mateo County family court, is navigating her first year with a strong commitment to understanding cases and assisting unrepresented litigants. However, her lack of family law experience exposes gaps in legal doctrine application. The systemic challenges in the court impact families more than her individual performance.
The Other Side Writes the Order. Here’s Why That Should Concern You.
In California family court, the attorney representing the winning side drafts the official court order, which becomes the permanent record of proceedings. This practice poses significant risks for self-represented litigants who may be unaware of their rights and the nuances of legal language. The article emphasizes the potential for misrepresentation and the need for vigilance…
Fighting Through It
The article discusses the consequences of dismissing a father’s illness within legal proceedings, as exemplified by the author’s experience with pneumonia and a high-conflict separation. Despite medical documentation, his former partner accused him of faking illness, affecting his custody battle. It highlights how untreated illness and stress can impair a parent’s ability to present themselves…
He Wanted to Be a Father More Than He Wanted to Win
Kyle Busch, a celebrated NASCAR driver, passed away at 41, leaving behind a legacy beyond his 234 race victories. He was a devoted father, establishing the Bundle of Joy Fund to support families facing infertility challenges. Busch’s commitment to family and charity reflects a profound dedication that transcends his competitive identity.
Court Denies Brenna Gano’s Motions — But Sets the Stage for Trial
A San Mateo family court judge rejected Brenna Gano’s requests to set aside a contested 2022 settlement, citing statute of limitations issues. While Gano claimed duress and lack of accommodations, the judge ruled her allegations did not meet the threshold for fraud. A full trial is scheduled for December 28, 2026.
The Same Tools
The article explores how tactics used in controlling marriages transition to family court, impacting custody cases. It highlights four parents’ experiences, demonstrating a structural failure of family courts to recognize coercive control patterns. The author argues for reforms to enable courts to assess relationship dynamics in custody decisions and address ongoing litigation abuse.
Court Watchers Needed Tomorrow Morning in Redwood City, California
A San Mateo County family court hearing is scheduled for May 20, where Brenna Gano will request to overturn a 2022 settlement agreement she claims was signed under coercion. This motion raises conflict-of-interest concerns regarding Judge Vivian Wang. Brenna seeks to restore her relationship with her son after losing custody.
Before the Record, There Was a Marriage. This Is How It Ended — And How Everything That Followed Began.
The Still Here series documents a father’s struggle to maintain a relationship with his son after a tumultuous marriage that ended with a protective order. It reveals a pattern of emotional abuse and systemic failures in recognizing male victims of domestic violence. Key events include the father’s removal from the home, false allegations, and the…
The Federal Government Will Ground You for Unpaid Child Support. It Has No Answer for Stolen Parenting Time.
The Trump administration’s policy, effective May 9, 2026, revokes passports from parents owing over $2,500 in child support debt, without considering individual circumstances. This disproportionately affects struggling parents, especially those involved in custody disputes, ultimately harming their ability to earn income for support. The policy lacks balance in addressing parenting time violations.
What the Flowers Don’t Know
This Mother’s Day, many parents silently endure the heartache of parental alienation, where children become estranged due to manipulation. Family courts often overlook or exacerbate this process, leaving targeted parents marginalized and powerless. The cycle of grief intensifies as courts fail to recognize and intervene, enabling destructive narratives to shape children’s identities.
No One Is Watching: How Montgomery County’s Family Court Operates Without External Oversight, and What Happens to the People Who Notice
An investigation reveals a significant accountability gap in Maryland’s family court system, where civil rights complaints against judges lack external oversight and transparency. Complaints filed are often sealed and unreported, leading to systemic noncompliance without recourse for litigants. This raises critical issues about judicial accountability and the structures that enable potential misconduct.
A Paper Doesn’t Stop a Bullet. A False Accusation Helps Pull the Trigger.
Three Maryland cases reveal the same systemic failure: protective orders that identify danger but cannot stop it. At the same time, false filings dilute the system’s ability to respond to real threats — leaving children to bear the cost.
7,077 Messages. One Court Order. Years of No.
Our Family Wizard is a co-parenting platform documenting over 7,000 messages exchanged in a high-conflict custody case. The records reveal a consistent pattern of noncompliance with court orders, with one parent systematically excluding the other from important decisions and events regarding their child, highlighting significant communication breakdowns and avoidance.
The Map Is Not the Problem
Michael Phillips critiques Bruce Lesley’s argument on children and gerrymandering, asserting it oversimplifies child welfare issues. While the Supreme Court’s Callais decision addresses racial gerrymandering, Phillips emphasizes the real crises in foster care and family court systems affecting children. He calls for genuine reforms that directly support child welfare rather than political redistricting.
Parental Alienation as Labor Exploitation
Over 22 million American parents face systemic separation from their children due to parental alienation, a serious issue recognized but inadequately addressed by courts. This exploitation results in significant emotional and economic costs for families, reflecting institutional failure. The legal system must enforce its orders to protect parental rights effectively.
Medicaid, Disability, and Custody
The article discusses the challenges faced by parents with disabilities in custody proceedings, highlighting how loss of Medicaid coverage impacts their parental fitness assessments. Despite legal protections under the ADA, systemic gaps persist, often forcing parents to relinquish custody to access necessary services. This situation exacerbates discrimination in family courts against disabled parents.
The Unpaid Shift
International Workers’ Day highlights the ongoing struggles of working families, particularly in family courts where custody orders lack enforcement. The systemic failure results in significant economic and emotional costs for parents, echoing labor movement challenges. Advocates are urged to demand accountability and regulatory frameworks comparable to those gained for labor rights.
She Wants Her Name Out of the Story. The First Amendment Has Something to Say About That.
Michael Phillips responds to Christina Avgerinos’s demands to remove her and their son’s names from his writings. He argues that such requests lack legal authority under First Amendment protections and highlights the broader implications for parental rights and press freedom. Phillips asserts his commitment to documenting his experiences as a father.
The Morning She Told Me to Stop Writing, She Also Told Me About the Therapy
Eight minutes separated two emails—one revealing months of undisclosed therapy, the other demanding silence. This is what parental exclusion actually looks like in real time.
I Wrote About My Son Yesterday. Today I Sent His Doctor a Letter.
When you can’t show up in person, you show up in writing. A father explains why documenting communication with his child’s doctor may matter more than most people realize in parental alienation cases.
They’re Adults Now. He Still Can’t Call Them.
Marc Fishman’s children are no longer caught in a custody battle — they’re adults. And yet the silence remains. His case exposes a reality rarely discussed: when parental alienation succeeds, it doesn’t end. It becomes permanent.
The ‘Mom Yells’ Playbook
A two-word claim — “mom yells” — became the foundation for a seven-year custody battle that ended in total estrangement. This investigation traces how a narrative, once introduced into the family court system, can be repeated, reinforced, and ultimately weaponized until it replaces documented reality.
A Father’s Silence: How Jeffrey Reichert Lost His Son to a System That Stopped Listening
Jeffrey Reichert hasn’t seen his son since 2022. Every criminal charge filed against him failed. Yet he lost custody—and contact. This investigation examines how it happened, and what it reveals about Maryland’s family court system.
The Mother the System Called the Problem
On Parental Alienation Awareness Day, Rhonda Reyna’s story exposes a disturbing inversion inside the family court system: the very label meant to protect children from manipulation is increasingly used against the parent raising legitimate safety concerns. As documented warnings go ignored and protective actions are reframed as “alienation,” the system meant to safeguard families instead…
Today Is Parental Alienation Awareness Day. My Son Is 7. I Haven’t Had Parenting Time Since He Was 4.
On Parental Alienation Awareness Day, Michael Phillips emphasizes the disconnect between awareness and effective enforcement in family courts. He shares his painful experience of estrangement from his son due to parental alienation, highlighting the damaging effects on children and advocating for serious legal action to uphold court-ordered parenting time.
The Treaty That Rewards the Kidnapper
Justice Sotomayor’s dissent in Castro v. Guevara highlights concerns about the court’s handling of “well-settled” determinations in Hague Convention cases. The case involved a Venezuelan mother taking her daughter without consent, raising questions about gender biases in legal responses. Critics argue that procedural delays often favor abductors over left-behind parents, predominantly fathers.
Eight Children. One Father. A System That Knew.
Eight children are dead in Shreveport — killed by a father the system already knew. This investigation traces the warning signs, the missed opportunities, and the structural failures that turned a preventable crisis into a mass killing.
SEPARATION IN PLACE
Two years. One house. Separate lives. “Separation in place” is what the law allows—and often requires. But for families in crisis, that legal structure can quietly escalate risk, conflict, and trauma behind closed doors.