As you face one of life's most difficult transitions, divorce and child custody mediator Dr. Blackstone and pediatrician Dr. Hill offer step-by-step guidance on how to put your children first. This road map covers communicating the news in a developmentally appropriate way, helping children cope and preventing the effects of toxic stress, shared custody and parenting plans, confronting bad-mouthing and other challenges to positive co-parenting, handling concerns about safety or abuse, remarriage and blending families, co-parenting for the long haul, through the teen years and beyond, and more, with the goal of healthy, happy kids informing every step along the way

Take coparenting to the next level and provide a stable environment for your children as you and your spouse begin tackling your separation or divorce. For parents who are separating and want to put their children first, birdnesting could be the interim custody solution you’ve been looking for. Instead of the children splitting their time being shuttled between mom and dad’s separate homes, birdnesting allows the children to stay in the “nest” and instead, requires mom and dad to swap, allowing each parent to stay elsewhere when not with the children. Initially popularized by celebrities, this method of coparenting is now becoming more mainstream as a way to help ease children into a new family dynamic. Birdnesting takes work and commitment but with Dr. Ann Gold Buscho’s guidance, you’ll learn everything you need to know about this revolutionary method. In The Parent’s Guide to Birdnesting, you will discover the pros and cons, the financial and interpersonal considerations, and if it’s the right decision for you and your family.

A successful co-parenting relationship is as vital to your child's well-being and health as nutritious food or proper exercise. Research, anecdotal evidence, and plain common sense all point to the fact that children are happier, healthier, and better adjusted when both of their parents play an active role in their lives. Studies also show that the trauma children experience in the wake of a divorce or separation can be lessened when they see their parents getting along. Kids whose parents successfully co-parent feel more secure than those who have limited or no connection to one of their parents post divorce. Co-Parenting 101 is based on the premise that co-parenting is a must, not an option. The involvement of both parents—not just the primary guardian—is the cornerstone of successful co-parenting. This is the first book written by a formerly married couple for whom co parenting is central to their day to day lives, and it offers a comprehensive, personal, and upfront look at how to effectively raise kids with an ex-spouse. Authors Deesha Philyaw and Michael D. Thomas, the creators of the popular co-parenting website, co-parenting101.org, share their own experiences raising their children together, as well as provide professional advice from co-parenting experts. Through practical tips combined with expert parental strategies, this book a great resource for divorced parents with children. For parents, less time stressed out about legal wrangling means more time to be fully present and engaged with the children. By learning to put their animosity aside, parents can focus on putting their kids first.

When a marriage ends, the most important thing divorcing parents can do is to help their children through this difficult transition and remain united as parents even if they are no longer united as a couple. In Parenting Apart divorce coach Christina McGhee offers practical advice on how to help children adjust and thrive during and after separation and divorce. She looks at all the different issues parents may face with their children of different ages, offering immediate solutions to the most critical parenting problems divorce brings, including: ·When to tell your children about the divorce and what to say ·How to create a loving, secure home if your child doesn't live with you full time ·What to do if your child is angry or sad ·How to manage the legal system, including information on family law and issues of custody ·How to deal with a difficult ex This is an invaluable resource that offers parents quick access to the information you most need at a time when you need it most.

"Your divorce doesn't have to damage your children..., " Stahl assures, " ... especially if you limit your children's exposure to your conflicts." He knows parents are not perfect, and he uses that knowledge to show imperfect parents how to settle their differences in the best interests of the children. This revised and updated second edition features ideas from the latest research, more information on long-distance parenting, dealing with the courts, and working with a difficult co-parent. A realistic perspective on divorce and its effects on children, Parenting After Divorce features knowledgeable advice from an expert custody evaluator. Packed with real-world examples, this book avoids idealistic assumptions, and offers practical help for divorcing parents, custody evaluators, family court counselors, marriage and family therapists and others interested in the best interests of the children.

Combative to Collaborative: The Co-parenting Code channels parents' interactions with each other to what they really want?to be good parents together. But while most co-parenting books tell parents to just put the kids first even if that means sacrificing their own happiness, Combative to Collaborative shows parents how supporting each other as good parenting partners ensures they do what's best for their kids while also achieving personal happiness. Move from anger, hurt, and loss to consideration, kindness, and cooperation.Discover how to:- Diffuse a co-parent's snarky behavior and avoid triggering their hostility- Recognize your own combative behaviors and stop exhibiting them- Plan for co-parenting collaboration and success- Correct course when a relationship goes astray - even after many years of conflict!The book is divided into three stages: Uncoupling, Life Goes On, and Correcting Course. Then each chapter lays out a roadmap for a particular area of co-parenting. Whether parents are newly separated, well into their journey, or have been at it for years, this book will guide the way. For each co-parenting topic covered...- Explore what's at stake for the child, parents, and others involved.- Identify the combative behaviors that derail parenting efforts and make life miserable for everyone.- Read True Stories to see how real parents have handled situations both successfully and not as well. As you read these stories, you'll learn what worked and what didn't and also find out you're not alone.- Learn the DOs and DON'Ts of collaborative behaviors.- Answer questions that will help you adopt an empathetic mindset, apply the Golden Rule to your situation, and achieve the positive outcome you desire.This is The Co-parenting Code!Combative to Collaborative: The Co-parenting Code is the essential guide for parents living separately to not only improve life for their children, but also for themselves and everyone that surrounds them. You can save your family. You can be happy! A painful decision does not have to mean a pain-filled life.

A valuable resource for parents who are transitioning from being married with children to co-parenting together, this handbook will help ensure kids and co-parents thrive. Parents need help to confidently take on the challenges of guiding children through divorce or separation and raising them skillfully in two homes. The authors, both trusted divorce and co-parenting coaches, provide the road map for all family members to safely navigate the difficult emotional terrain through separation/divorce and beyond. Addressing parents’ questions about the emotional impact of separation, conflict, grief, and recovery, the authors share their well-tested and reassuring guidance on how to move from angry, hurt partners to constructive, successful co-parents who are able to put their children’s needs first. Chock-full of strategies to help resolve day-to-day issues, create boundaries, and establish guidelines.

Seventy now-adult children of divorce give their candid and often heart-wrenching answers to eight questions (arranged in eight chapters, by question), including: What were the main effects of your parents' divorce on your life? What do you say to those who claim that "children are resilient" and "children are happy when their parents are happy"? What would you like to tell your parents then and now? What do you want adults in our culture to know about divorce? What role has your faith played in your healing? Their simple and poignant responses are difficult to read and yet not without hope. Most of the contributors--women and men, young and old, single and married--have never spoken of the pain and consequences of their parents' divorce until now. They have often never been asked, and they believe that no one really wants to know. Despite vastly different circumstances and details, the similarities in their testimonies are striking; as the reader will discover, the death of a child's family impacts the human heart in universal ways.

Trust your gut, take care of yourself, and find new life on the other side with this “straightforward” (Ilene S. Cohen, PhD, award-winning author of When It’s Never About You), empowering guide to divorce for moms. We hear it all the time on the news. The divorce rates are rising. More children are being raised in split homes. But you didn’t think it would happen to you. Luckily, you’re not alone. Popular divorce coach Michelle Dempsey-Multack not only survived her own divorce but figured out how to move on with her life, just like you will, too. Now happily remarried with a blended family, she’s living proof that no matter which “firsts” you might be experiencing as you end your marriage, and no matter how long you stayed with someone who didn’t meet your needs, your best days are ahead. Mom’s Moving On is your “go-to guide” (Dr. Elizabeth Cohen, psychologist and author of Light on the Other Side of Divorce), filled with practical, actionable, and empowering advice from someone who has been through it and has come out the other side. Through Michelle’s guidance, you’ll learn how to navigate your divorce with confidence, adjust to life as a single mother, and shift your perspective to find your way back to your best self. From coparenting to dating as a single mother, you’ll learn how to truly move on and create the life you deserve.

Adult children are often overlooked and forgotten when their parents divorce later in life, but in these pages they will find comfort and understanding for the many feelings, frustrations, and challenges they face. For more than two decades, a silent revolution has been occurring and creating a seismic shift in the American family and families in other countries. It has been unfolding without much comment, and its effects are being felt across three to four generations: more couples are divorcing later in life. Called the “gray divorce revolution,” the cultural phenomenon describes couples who divorce after the age of 50. Overlooked in the issues that affect couples divorcing later in in life are the adult children of divorcing parents. Their voices open this book, and they are the voices of men and women, 18 to 50 years old. Some of them are single; some are married. Some have children of their own. All of them are in different stages of shock, fear, and sudden, dramatic change. In Home Will Never Be the Same: A Guide for Adult Children of Gray Divorce, Carol Hughes and Bruce Fredenburg share their deep understanding gained during the innumerable hours they have spent with these women and men in their clinical practices. The result is a valuable resource for these too often forgotten adult children, many of whom find that, whenever they express their feelings and experiences, the most important people in their lives frequently ignore and dismiss them. As the divorce rate for older adults soars, so too does the number of adult children who are experiencing parental divorce. Yet, these adult children frequently say that they are the only ones who are aware of what they are going through, no one understands what they are experiencing, and they feel painfully alone.