hat can possibly be more cruel than separating a loving, kind, nurturing father and his child? We all know the importance of motherhood...but far too many people deny the incomparable value of a wonderful father in the life of a child. For all of my life, I wished for and longed for my father to love me. No matter what I did, somewhere in the back of my mind was the thought, "I hope my dad will be proud of me...maybe now, he'll give me a big hug and say "Congratulations on a good job! I love you my son."

No matter how hard I tried, it didn't matter if I got all (A's) and one (B) on my report card, he only mentioned the (B) and that I could have done better. No matter how I worked to excel in sports, he would remind me that it was just a game and that I should be doing something that would be meaningful to my future. When I became a professional singer, I thought for sure he would be proud of me for he loved singing and music so much. Yet, even after I sent him clippings of glowing reviews from newspapers and magazines, he never once congratulated me for my success. But, my sisters said he played my records over and over so many times that the needle of the phonograph had worn the vinyl nearly all the way through.

After working so hard for my father's love all my life, I became determined that when I became a father, I would try to be the best father who ever lived. As a singer and a teacher, I learned the value of positive affirmations and gentle correction.. We humans respond far better from loving, positive, nurturing guidance than by the hostile, negative, threatening, yelling and scolding techniques of old.

My son, Christopher Robin, Jr. is the consummate example of a child raised with love and kindness. I don't believe in yelling at or hitting any animal or human. I'm 6'1", 200 pounds. Imagine the fear created in having someone that large, yell at or hit a tiny creature? I have loved my little son so much, we had such great times together, we laughed so much and so often. I told him that if he misbehaved, I would have to spank myself for being a bad parent...and we'd laugh together. I made a deal with him when he was very little that if I ever took God's name in vain or said any bad words, I'd have to give him a Benjamin Franklin. One day, I slipped and said, "Oh God!" My little 7 year old son looked up at me and said..."DAD!" I reached into my billfold and handed him a $100. bill and thanked him for reminding me. We both laughed again.

Trust is so important in raising our children. There are drug addicts and alcoholics raising innocent children and saying, "Don't do drugs...don't do booze...don't do as I do...DO AS I SAY!" We are the examples to our children. We are their heroes, so if we set an example of yelling, hitting, hurting, drinking and doping, how can we possibly expect our children to be unlike us? We are the pattern for their behavior.

hristopher Robin's mother was always a busy woman. From the day Christopher was very young, she'd say, "You boys go do something now, I have things to do."

So...my son and I would go to the park to play ball, we'd go ice-skating, to Karate, roller-blading, shoot baskets, play Nintendo, Play Station, Genesis, play football, we'd sing, do homework, have great conversations and say bedtime prayers together. As a private singing teacher, it was easy for me to schedule my singing lessons during the hours he was in school. It was a wonderful life because here was the chance to watch our son grow into a remarkable little person. He was friendly, out-going, precocious, happy, he had lots of close friends and was incredibly well-adjusted. He loved life like no one I have ever known before. He loved to learn and as a teacher, I love to teach. He insisted on me giving him the most complex math problems and assignments because he enjoyed being smart. In his classroom, he was assistant to the teacher in many of his classes.

It may sound like bragging and perhaps it is...but it's the truth. We all want to be proud of our children but mostly, I wanted this child to realize that being taught with love and patience was the reason for his success so he would learn to be a father with the same qualities. Because my son and I were so close, I was accused of alienating my child from his mother but have seen him only 20 times in two years.

This child, Christopher Robin, Jr. was the prize in our divorce case. My in-laws have millions of dollars and powerful political connections. Each time we have gone to court, I have gone away totally defeated. Now, it has been 770 days since I have seen my wonderful child, my best friend. The last time I saw him at his 5th grade graduation, he hugged me and whispered in my ear, "Please help me daddy, I love you and my mom and grandma are brainwashing me."

The last time I saw my son before his graduation, he brought me three math papers marked (F-). Since he'd always had straight (A's), I asked him what happened. He said he was so unhappy living with his mother that he just didn't care anymore. Is there nothing that can help the millions children of loving, caring mothers and fathers who are caught up in the corrupt system of Family Law? The hatred of custodial parents is ruining the lives of millions and millions of children. Our children are the future of the world and far too many of our precious young ones live every day with an indescribable pain inside their little hearts.

A couple months ago, I had a dream that for each day I did not see my precious son, I would paint one new purple heart on my old home. The Purple Heart is an award for injuries received in the heat of battle. At this time, there are 770 purple hearts...and I don't even know if my son knows what I'm doing. I have no way to contact him to let him know that I still love him and pray for him each day. The cruelty in this world must stop for the sake of our beloved children but also for us parents who are only filled with love and tenderness. Vengeance by custodial parents with massive amounts of money and connections harms all of us including grandparents who also are alienated forever from their cherished grandchildren.