THE FORSAKEN PARENT SUPPORT GROUP

Who Are Forsaken Parents?

They are men and women who...most often through no fault of their own...find themselves to be estranged from their Adult Child. It's a painful situation--not understanding what they have done or why this has happened to them. More frequently than not, they find themselves blamed for their estrangement by friends, other family members, doctors, ministers, counselors. Yet they don't even know what they've done!

It's called Parental Estrangement and it's a new phenomena that grows larger each day. There are many reasons for it, but the main reason is because of the superiority younger adults feel about themselves.

What This Support Group Is About:

Just being told who Forsaken Parents are and why this is happening to them doesn't take away the pain they live with daily. The pain of the Forsaken Parent is only next to the loss of their child through death. In other words, it is almost the worst thing they will ever experience. This support group is to help you come together with other men and women who are going through the same things you are. It's also to help you understand what is happening and how to respond to it. You'll learn what you've been doing wrong...usually because you're afraid of being true to yourself for fear of being altogether banished from your family...and how to do it right. And you'll be cared about...just as you'll be caring about everyone in your group.

How Much Does It Cost?

IIt's free. AND IT SHOULD BE FREE! Enough said. Everyone is welcome.

When Does The Group Meet?

Everyday...7 days a week. You can come to one group or you can come to all of them. We meet from 5:30-6:30 Pacific Time. After the group is over we spend a half hour learning 'Why,' and 'How To' with Lynn Kennedy. There's no charge for that either.

WELCOME! You've come to the online meeting place for FPSG: THE FORSAKEN PARENT support group. This is a place where men and women from all over the country come together to share their common problems regarding their estrangement from their adult child with one another.

     We are not here to judge one another...we ARE here to offer our support to anyone who needs it. We recognize that the Forsaken Parent is often an individual who, through no fault of his or her own, is no longer welcome in their own families, or The Forsaken Parent is someone who is not given respect by a family member. This condition takes many other forms as well. It is a terrible situation for those who have loved their children as they raised them and now find themselves being shunned by those the very child they raised.

     There are many reasons why this new phenomena occurs toward parents who were good parents and loved their children, and now find themselves shunned by them nonetheless. We come together here to encourage those afflicted by what is happening in our society to talk about what has happened in their past and what is happening today. We meet here each evening at 6pm, Pacific Time.* Everything that is said here is confidential. We protect the identity of each person present. Anonymity is important to some of us, so we make it important to all of us. Confidentiality gives us the security to know that everything we say in these groups stays in these groups.

     What you will find, broken as you are when you first enter our doors, is that we offer warm mutual regard for one another. No matter how much pain you live with now, you will begin to let go of the blame that has been put on you for what has NOT necessarily been caused by you. You will find you will regain the esteem and self-worth you once had. This often takes place in a suprisingly short amount of time. In listening to each other, we are able to more understand the bond that is here for all of us. This is how we learn and this is how we begin to heal from the brokenness with which we have come here.

     Again, we welcome you just as you are. No matter what has happened in your past, we welcome you. No matter what is happening in your present, we welcome you. We are glad you are here with us and we believe that we need you just as much as you need us.
     We will begin with a moment of silence to reflect on why we are here, and then we will say the Serenity Prayer:
                        "God, grant me the serenity
                        To accept the things I cannot change,
                        Courage to change the things I can,
                        And wisdom to know the difference."

     There are no group leaders here: each of us is here to learn from the other. There is no charge to be here, but you are welcome to make a small donation. The link is found at the bottom of this page. All donations will be used for advertising to let others know we are here and expenses incurred while beginning The Forsaken Parent support groups.

     Are there any of you who are reading this who would like to share with the rest of us what your life used to be like, what happened if you know, and what it is like now in regards to your having become estranged from your child or family? We honor, with our silence as you speak, the importance of what has gone on for you by simply letting you talk as you need to. We also ask that you try to keep what you have to say to 5 minutes or less so that all who need to talk will talk. And that is how our groups are run.

      This is a sad truth: There are those who will look for ways in which to blame us for our own estrangement: ways that we have been at fault. Whereas it is true that we have made mistakes as parents, we also know that all parents make mistakes. And with that understanding and the understanding that we live in a culture where people look to the faults of the parent as the cause of the problem, we can have peace and we can live without shame because the blame may not be ours to carry.

    I'm glad you've come to this site. I look forward to your joining us in The Forsaken Parent support groups. There are warm exchanges and you're welcome to come as often as you like... again we meet at 6pm Pacific Time seven days a week. And remember: We are here for you...Please be here for you too, and while you're at it, consider being here for us too! With the warm mutual regard we hold in our hearts for each and every one of us, we always close with the Serenity Prayer:

                 God, grant me the serenity
                 To accept the things I cannot change,
                 Courage to change the things I can
                And wisdom to know the difference.

(A note is posted at the bottom of this page about our first group!)

*Group Times:   6pm Pacific
                            7pm Mountain
                            8pm Central
                            9pm Eastern

Our first FPsg group will be this coming Sunday, July 1, 2012 at 6pm Pacific Time. Please contact Lynne at theforsakenparent@yahoo.com for more information about the group.
We look forward to 'seeing' you!