Parents who are in a separation or divorce process often feel understandable feelings of overwhelm and trepidation about telling their children what is happening. Still, children greatly benefit when they receive accurate and clear information; without facts, they may answer their own questions and fill the void with inaccuracies and assumptions.
Each family’s conversation will be unique and individual. However, there are some general tips that will apply to all families preparing for this dialogue. Here are some of them:
1. Plan the conversation in advance and decide which parent will say what in the conversation.
2. Have …

By Carolyn via TheGrownUpChild
Have you ever agreed with someone on a topic only to realize later, after closer consideration that you didn’t agree at all, and you wish wish wish you could go back in time and change your answer?
Just me?  Oh.
As a guest on the online radio show Coparenting Matters, one of the co-hosts Talibah asked me this question (I’m paraphrasing): “Would you agree that it’s not divorce itself but how parents can conduct themselves after divorce that hurts children?”
It’s an interesting question and something that I’ve heard before and yet never carefully considered.
It sounded …

Unfortunately, child custody battles are often part of bitter divorces. If you and your spouse can’t reach an agreement about custody, you need to prepare yourself in the event that your custody case goes to trial.
Today, it can no longer be assumed that the mother will get custody of the children. Instead, what judges consider during a custody trial is based on the “best interests of the child”, and they try to give custody to the parent who will provide the best environment and upbringing for the children.
To win your child custody case, you will …

Coping With Separation and Divorce May Leave Guys Angry and Lonely

Half of all marriages end in divorce and that number is even higher for second marriages. Many articles, studies, and family members are concerned about how women cope with divorce, but, sometimes, it seems like divorced men are being ignored.
Divorce for Men
In reality, men usually have bigger emotional adjustment problems with divorce than women do. The causes are:

Loss of intimacy
Loss of social connection
Reduced finances

And, while men often complain about the money (spousal maintenance, child support, loss of assets), this is probably because it is easier …

Divorce is the second most stressful life event, preceded only by the death of a spouse. And what is stress capable of? Expediting a severe bout of depression and anxiety to your limbic system (the brain’s emotional center) if you’re not careful. Acute and chronic stress, especially, undermine both emotional and physical health. In fact, a recent study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior suggests that divorced or widowed people have 20 percent more chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer than married people.
Another study in Psychological Science claimed …

“Broken home.” This is a derogatory label that causes much pain and misunderstanding. Too often, children living in single parent households have to contend with negative stereotypes and hurtful remarks made by Insensitive adults. Regardless of whether the single parent family exists as a result of divorce or death of the other parent, the child is clearly not responsible for the circumstances.
However, it is the child who often pays the price: the child who has to write an essay because a parent cannot afford Back to School night, the child who has to sit on …

Barring marriage by same-sex couples is not the only way that New York State’s policies on marriage are stuck in the past and inflict needless pain.
In 2006, a special blue-ribbon state commission sensibly called for overhauling state law to allow no-fault divorce. The reform enjoys broad support within legal circles and well beyond. Practically every New Yorker has a bitter divorce story, even if it’s not his or her own. Yet four years, and a countless number of traumatized parents and children later, Albany has yet to act.
As a result of that inaction, New York …

By Dr. Reena Sommer
In the past when a couple divorced, a father’s role was limited to financial support and the occasional visitation with his children. Until the changes in the divorce laws during the 1970’s, this state of affairs prevailed and for the most part, was accepted as the norm. Custody battles were almost unheard of and the status of fathers as “weekend Dads” went virtually unchallenged.
In the 1970’s divorce laws in many western countries underwent a major overhaul. One of the most significant changes was making both parents responsible for the care of children …

The following article gives several great examples for activities recommended to do with your child in order to help him or her cope with the divorce. Playing with your child and spending quality time together is key to dealing with this transition in your child’s life, and Earthquake in Zipland is intended for just that.

Going through the process of divorce is a challenging life transition for both parents and children. 
During their parents’ divorce, children often feel a wide variety of conflicting emotions. It is very important for parents to provide their children with understanding and …

So your ex has moved out – now what? Our guide to moving your home from “we” to “me”
It was a dream-like experience. Upon returning from a weekend away with our children, the bedroom closets were empty—my husband, now my ex, had moved out. He took the fabulous living room furniture that we had purchased not that long ago.  My world was changing.
The reality was, I wanted to stop thinking about who I had become upon divorce—a single woman—and focus on my surroundings. I wanted my home to change from our home to my home.
I …