June 14th has been proclaimed by other states as Grandparent Alienation Awareness Day!

Strong family relationships constitute the foundation of our

communities and we believe that the children and families of Minnesota

deserve this day designated to create awareness and education for this

little known and severe form of abuse. Alienation is a term used to

describe any number of behaviors and attitudes designed to interfere,

damage or destroy a relationship between a child and family member.

Mental health professionals agree that the negative effects of

alienation can follow a child into adulthood with tragic consequences.

The recently published Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental

Disorders (DSM-5) made several references to the dysfunctional family

dynamic of alienation to be a form of psychological child abuse. This

awareness day is intended to increase the knowledge and understanding of

this issue to help families, institutions, the legal and mental health

community, and leaders to better identify and combat such abusive

behavior toward Minnesota's most vulnerable populations; it's children

and elderly. We respectfully request that you sign this petition to

encourage Governor Dayton to proclaim this day to help bring awareness

to the epidemic public health issue of alienation. Thank you for your

support.