Elf Sternberg

Not allowing a child to speak to a parent is frequently part of a pattern of behavior called "alienation of affection", and it's actually considered abusive, That may not be what's going on this case, but it does raise some red flags. Especially when the child and both parents are at the same function. It's very cruel and bizarre for one parent to tell a child to stay away from the other parent in such a setting. From my experience, judges in the family court certainly consider it so.