The struggle for my child against his sociopathic mother has entered a new stage, now that I've had my interview with the Guardian Ad Litem (GAL).
I'd been told all along that petitioning for and hiring a GAL was still no guarantee of getting a fair shake in court. the GAL brings their own biases and assumptions to the process, just as the judges and commissioners do. You could get a GAL that is traditional in her thinking that only the mother is capable of caring for and nurturing a child. Or, you could get someone that is up to date on current parenting practices and realizes that many fathers are assuming the role of caring for children, especially when the mother is not fit.
During the interview, it was obvious, and openly stated, the GAL assumes both sides are lying in their sworn declarations about each other. I informed the GAL that my attorneys have always told me to tell the truth to the best of my knowledge and recollection. During most of the process it has even seemed to my detriment to tell the truth while the other party has been telling the most horrific lies about me. Still, after this is all over and done with, I will have retained my self respect. Although, it will make no difference to a sociopath whether they lie or who they hurt with their fabrications.
The GAL was even able to clarify some of my first courtroom experiences. During my very first appearance in court, it was before a Commissioner by the last name of dickey. I felt at the time I was being treated like a criminal and that she had assumed the sociopaths statements were true. The GAL informed me the commissioner was a "man hater" and that they also do not like attorneys from the adjoining county representing people in their county. As a result, both myself and my attorney were discriminated against in the courtroom. I went into this situation being idealistic about the justice system. Now, I'm definitely cynical about justice being blind.
Anyhow, the primary accomplishment with the GAL was she agreed to word her recommendation to suggest psychological evaluations for both parties, should we not be able to settle out of court. Now, I assume, it only remains to attend the mandatory settlement conference and inform them I want the psychological evaluations performed. Although, I have to check with my attorney and it may be possible to get the process started earlier. Once again, I will have to play the waiting game and be patient with this slow, tedious, process.

I'm really surprised when I do a blogsearch and find many people that are evidently trying to proclaim themselves Sociopaths, or at least use it as part of their titles. A true sociopath does not realize they are one. In their unique way of perceiving the world, they are the normal ones and would never even consider they have some sort of personality defect. The same way that someone we consider "crazy" does not think they are crazy. Their illness shapes and filters the way they perceive the world around them. Perhaps an appropriate analogy would be a colorblind individual that perceives only black and white. If they've never seen color before they would have absolutely no idea what it looks like. You could attempt to explain it for hours and never get the concept across. It's something that has to be experienced to be fully understood. To the Sociopath, you would be attempting to explain what mainstream society considers "normal." Something the Sociopath has never experienced and is incapable of experiencing.
In my own dealings with Sociopaths, they deny they have a problem. Not because they are lying about having a problem. simply because they are incapable of seeing how they are perceived by most others. What further compounds the issue is that most "normal" people are also incapable if imagining another having the traits of a Sociopath. Attempt to imagine someone with absolutely no empathy for others and it's impossible for most of us. Most people have lived with emotion as part of our psychological makeup all our lives and it's an integral part of the lens through which we view the world. What has really brought Sociopaths to the attention of mainstream humanity is the use of them in movies and the news we receive from around the world of people committing horrific crimes with apparently no remorse whatsoever.

I'm at the stage of conferencing with the Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) I petitioned for to represent my son. This is one of the last hopes I have of ensuring my son has a "normal" future as a child and later as an adult. I say this because Martha Stout stated " most of her patients had difficulties as a result of their contact with Sociopaths." All I can do is appeal to the GAL's sense of representing the best interest of the child and request psychological testing to verify his mother is a Sociopath. It seems simple and a fairly reasonable request, but many people do not realize Sociopaths are among us on a daily basis. It's hard for someone with normal emotions to imagine someone else having no empathy for others.
For those of you wanting to find out more about Sociopaths and the resources needed to deal with them, there is a wonderful website with many links that can be helpful. It's at www.sociopathnextdoor.com Another good site is PSYCHOPATH@groups.msn.com. There are many good links there, depending on specific needs. I found both these sites well after I first began the process of fighting the Sociopath and wish I'd had some of the information earlier. My whole idea behind this blog is to assist others before they suffer the same fate I have and I will continue to list resources as I find them.