What do you think?
Rate this book
The Co-Parenting Handbook: Raising Well-Adjusted and Resilient Kids from Little Ones to Young Adults through Divorce or Separation
With a tested "here's how" approach, The Co-Parents' Handbook helps parents confidently take on the challenges of raising children in two homes. Addressing parents' questions about the emotional impact of separation, conflict, grief and recovery, the authors skillfully provide a roadmap for all members of the family to safely navigate through separation/divorce and beyond. Parents discover through practical guidance how to move from angry/hurt partners to constructive, successful co-parents. The pages are chock-full of helpful strategies to resolve day-to-day issues in an easy-to-use format. This book is here to answer questions, help parents co-parent and ensure kids thrive!
“The Co-Parents' Handbook is an extremely valuable resource for parents and families in transition. This splendidly practical manual will help people navigate changes in family structure so they can be the parents their children deserve.”
-Diane Diel, JD, Family Lawyer, and Past President of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and State Bar of Wisconsin
“This book contains the absolute essence of practical, healthy co-parenting for two homes. Sound guidance, clear protocols, and compassionate insights- a much needed resource! A "must read" not only for co-parents, but also for anyone interested in how to support changing families.”
-Anne Lucas, MA, LMHC, Psychotherapist, Mediator, Divorce Coach, and adjunct faculty at Saybrook University; Past President of King County Collaborative Law
“The most progressive, practical, and hopeful book for families in transition!”
-Felicia Malsby Soleil, JD, Family Law Attorney, Mediator and Founder/past President of Collaborative Professionals of Washington
“The Co-Parents' Handbook is an extremely valuable resource for parents and families in transition. This splendidly practical manual will help people navigate changes in family structure so they can be the parents their children deserve.”
-Diane Diel, JD, Family Lawyer, and Past President of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and State Bar of Wisconsin
“This book contains the absolute essence of practical, healthy co-parenting for two homes. Sound guidance, clear protocols, and compassionate insights- a much needed resource! A "must read" not only for co-parents, but also for anyone interested in how to support changing families.”
-Anne Lucas, MA, LMHC, Psychotherapist, Mediator, Divorce Coach, and adjunct faculty at Saybrook University; Past President of King County Collaborative Law
“The most progressive, practical, and hopeful book for families in transition!”
-Felicia Malsby Soleil, JD, Family Law Attorney, Mediator and Founder/past President of Collaborative Professionals of Washington
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2014
246 people are currently reading
433 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 17, 2019
Perhaps at a later time I will give this book five stars. It is a good guide on how to cope with the establishment of two homes for the children while the adults finish the separation and divorce.
The authors put equal emphasis on both parents; they are spot on when they say that one of the parents has moved on from the marriage a long time ago and that this person is in a better emotional state. I call this parent Nero, in honor of the Roman Emperor who decided to burn the old Rome. The Nero-parent destroys the family and walks away from the ruins; the other parent ends up living in the ruins. I would have liked the authors to put more emphasis on the latter parent, since this is the person called upon to face a situation unwillingly and who ends up trying to catch up emotionally to the Nero-parent.
Another weak spot on the book is the case when the two homes are separated by a long distance, making it impossible for the children to alternate weekends with each parent.
I am sure I will consult this book frequently as I unwillingly establish a two-home situation for my child.
The authors put equal emphasis on both parents; they are spot on when they say that one of the parents has moved on from the marriage a long time ago and that this person is in a better emotional state. I call this parent Nero, in honor of the Roman Emperor who decided to burn the old Rome. The Nero-parent destroys the family and walks away from the ruins; the other parent ends up living in the ruins. I would have liked the authors to put more emphasis on the latter parent, since this is the person called upon to face a situation unwillingly and who ends up trying to catch up emotionally to the Nero-parent.
Another weak spot on the book is the case when the two homes are separated by a long distance, making it impossible for the children to alternate weekends with each parent.
I am sure I will consult this book frequently as I unwillingly establish a two-home situation for my child.
June 29, 2019
Χρήσιμο βιβλίο για τους χωρισμένους γονείς και το πώς να συνεργαστούν για το μεγάλωμα των παιδιών τους. Μου άρεσε που μπαίνει σε πάρα πολλές λεπτομέρειες, που δίνει πολλές ιδέες, που απενοχοποιεί, που δίνει έμφαση στον κοινό σκοπό που είναι η αποτελεσματική ανατροφή των παιδιών πέραν των προσωπικών διαφορών των γονέων, που παρέχει πρόσθετες βοηθητικές πληροφορίες στο τέλος. Δεν μου άρεσε που είναι πολύ φλύαρο, πολύ όμως! Κάποια πράγματα επαναλαμβάνονται πολλές φορές, σε βαθμό κουραστικό. Με καλύτερη επιμέλεια και αφαιρώντας τις επαναλήψεις το βιβλίο θα μπορούσε να είναι 300 σελίδες αντί για 470 (!) και να είναι εξίσου χρήσιμο.
Το συνιστώ πάραυτα σε όλους γονείς που πρόκειται να χωρίσουν ή έχουν ήδη χωρίσει, για να κάνουν τη ζωή τους πιο εύκολη και τα παιδιά τους πιο ευτυχισμένα.
Το συνιστώ πάραυτα σε όλους γονείς που πρόκειται να χωρίσουν ή έχουν ήδη χωρίσει, για να κάνουν τη ζωή τους πιο εύκολη και τα παιδιά τους πιο ευτυχισμένα.
October 24, 2024
First published in 2014, with a second edition in 2017, "The Co-Parenting Handbook: Raising Well-Adjusted and Resilient Kids from Little Ones to Young Adults through Divorce or Separation," by Karen Bonnell, is a useful resource for anyone looking for a guide to co-parenting.
It took me two months to finish this book, even though it isn't that long, and I had a high desire to read it. I found the book incredibly triggering to read, since my life experience and my lived reality are erased from the pages.
The author lives in a world in which severe child abuse and complete parental abandonment do not exist, and are not situations that need to be mentioned or accounted for in any way. The author truly believes that all parents "love" their children, and that mentally ill parents (narcissists, sociopaths, etc.) will "come around" and learn how to communicate better if the other parent simply practices accepting them as they are.
The author truly believes that there are not parents out there who literally tell their children that they hate them, beat them until they require hospital treatment, and abandon them at various ages.
I could go on, but... blech, no. It's painful and it's a waste of my time.
I think this book is ideal for people who were themselves raised by "good enough" parents (as the book describes the term) and had healthy communication in their partnerships before their children were born. If you and your co-parent are "good enough" parents already, before separation: then this book is for you.
Earlier this year, without my consent, a judge appointed me to be a parental supervisor for an 8-year-old child who has been in a high-conflict custody battle ever since her parents separated, which happened when she was four months old. For eight years, these parents have launched pure hatred at each other, every single day. Their contempt and violence toward each other have led to police involvement, restraining orders, constant terror, and court orders that are consistently disregarded and violated at every turn.
Both parents have been court-ordered to take co-parenting classes and get counseling for themselves. Both parents adamantly refuse. They are incredibly abusive, treat their child as weaponized property, struggle with substance abuse and undiagnosed, severe mental illness, cannot hold down a job or pay their own rent, both require family members to house them and provide for their basic needs.
Upon finishing this book, I know that neither one of them could ever read "The Co-Parenting Handbook." Not only because they already think they know everything there is to know about parenting, and each one thinks they are the most amazing parent ever (and proudly proclaim themselves to be so), but everything about this book would be massively enraging to them, because each page assumes that *all* parents *already know* how to put their child first in their life: to prioritize their child's needs over their own. And I'm sorry, but no. That is not accurate. Reproduction does not cure mental illness. Reproduction does not cure a person's emotional immaturity or suddenly make them able to have empathy for another person, including their own children.
I know this author is a good person. And I know this book is a good book for the right audience.
But that audience does not include me, or anyone who grew up in the type of chaotic, abusive, completely dysfunctional home I grew up in, with bouts of homelessness and severe mental illness, sexual violence and addictions.
"The Co-Parenting Handbook" does not exist in a world in which both parents of a child might be actively damaging their child, a world in which both parents are completely incapable of learning, growing, and "doing better" due to untreated mental illness.
This is a book for best-case-scenario separations, in which the worst thing a one-home family is dealing with might be a secret affair that broke up a marriage. Would that we could all live in that kind of simplicity.
Three stars.
It took me two months to finish this book, even though it isn't that long, and I had a high desire to read it. I found the book incredibly triggering to read, since my life experience and my lived reality are erased from the pages.
The author lives in a world in which severe child abuse and complete parental abandonment do not exist, and are not situations that need to be mentioned or accounted for in any way. The author truly believes that all parents "love" their children, and that mentally ill parents (narcissists, sociopaths, etc.) will "come around" and learn how to communicate better if the other parent simply practices accepting them as they are.
The author truly believes that there are not parents out there who literally tell their children that they hate them, beat them until they require hospital treatment, and abandon them at various ages.
I could go on, but... blech, no. It's painful and it's a waste of my time.
I think this book is ideal for people who were themselves raised by "good enough" parents (as the book describes the term) and had healthy communication in their partnerships before their children were born. If you and your co-parent are "good enough" parents already, before separation: then this book is for you.
Earlier this year, without my consent, a judge appointed me to be a parental supervisor for an 8-year-old child who has been in a high-conflict custody battle ever since her parents separated, which happened when she was four months old. For eight years, these parents have launched pure hatred at each other, every single day. Their contempt and violence toward each other have led to police involvement, restraining orders, constant terror, and court orders that are consistently disregarded and violated at every turn.
Both parents have been court-ordered to take co-parenting classes and get counseling for themselves. Both parents adamantly refuse. They are incredibly abusive, treat their child as weaponized property, struggle with substance abuse and undiagnosed, severe mental illness, cannot hold down a job or pay their own rent, both require family members to house them and provide for their basic needs.
Upon finishing this book, I know that neither one of them could ever read "The Co-Parenting Handbook." Not only because they already think they know everything there is to know about parenting, and each one thinks they are the most amazing parent ever (and proudly proclaim themselves to be so), but everything about this book would be massively enraging to them, because each page assumes that *all* parents *already know* how to put their child first in their life: to prioritize their child's needs over their own. And I'm sorry, but no. That is not accurate. Reproduction does not cure mental illness. Reproduction does not cure a person's emotional immaturity or suddenly make them able to have empathy for another person, including their own children.
I know this author is a good person. And I know this book is a good book for the right audience.
But that audience does not include me, or anyone who grew up in the type of chaotic, abusive, completely dysfunctional home I grew up in, with bouts of homelessness and severe mental illness, sexual violence and addictions.
"The Co-Parenting Handbook" does not exist in a world in which both parents of a child might be actively damaging their child, a world in which both parents are completely incapable of learning, growing, and "doing better" due to untreated mental illness.
This is a book for best-case-scenario separations, in which the worst thing a one-home family is dealing with might be a secret affair that broke up a marriage. Would that we could all live in that kind of simplicity.
Three stars.
January 12, 2024
An essential read for co-parents, co-parenting therapists, or therapists of divorcees. The author provides clear and practical recommendations, options, and resources for those who are uncoupling. This book maintains the focus on the child’s needs, and assists parents in understanding how to preserve their on peace while protecting the peace of their children. This book helps readers take the “personal” out of decisions made for the kids and assists parents in shifting their focus towards the kids every situation.
March 30, 2020
I agree with Author,
Contents:
introduction……………………………………….pxv
Ch01: the journey through separation……..p01
- how conflict kept us connected…….pp01
- what it means to uncouple……..p03
- separation “spouse mind” from “parent mind”…….p05
- key to healing rage, and melt downs………p07
- crafting separation story: what do we tell the neighbors?..p10
- high conflict: when you Ex is stuck in blame or anger and won’t talk to you….p12
- Grief isn’t a straight forth: Anger, tears, and acceptance…p15
- forgiveness: it worth it? is it possible?.....p16
Ch02: the journey from parenting together to co-parenting Apart…p19
- Parents feelings: pacing the process……p19
- how separation impacts parenting style……p20
- Gate keeping……p24
- stepping up and stepping in……26
- the value of two good enough parents………p28
- Co-parenting as allies, not enemies……..p30
- Co-parenting goals…….p31
- your co-parenting goals…………p33
Ch03: the journey through separation for kids:…p35
- child development and adjusting to separation….p35
- what your child needs most (at any age)……p37
- Don’t kids deserve the truth? actually, no…….p38
- Explaining separation in kid language…..p39
- Kids caught in the middle of parental conflict…..p41
- Fanning the fire of parental conflict……..p44
- kids as spy or private eye: An unhealthy alliance….p45
- tips to protect kids from parental conflict…….p45
- helping children work through emotions……..p47
- when we feel too much for our kids: - compassion traps…….p51
- answering kids difficult questions………p52
Ch04: settling into a two –home family:……p57
- Building a secure base in a two home family….p57
- two 100 percent parents on a parenting schedule…..p60
- A clear residential schedule…………p62
- guide lings for managing your residential schedule…..p65
- the complexity of co- parenting long-distance…..p68
- child centered transitions…….p71
- good co- parenting hygiene: rules for the co- parenting road….p74
- sovereign time: independent parenting…….p79
- Helping grand parents and extended family join the team……p82
- what about miss kitty and fido?.........p83
Ch05: communication protocols that work:….p85
- The five Cs that guide respectful communication…….p88
- communication protocols……..p92
- Modes of communication……..p103
- Kids and communication…….p106
Ch06: decision making:……p109
- CEOs: Co-parent Executive offices……p109
- joint decision made jointly…………p112
- your dad and “I”, your Mon and “I”………p114
- Day to day decision making…..p116
- responsible informing………..p120
Ch07: Managing fiancés:……..p129
- CFOs: Co-parent financial offices…….p129
- Educate yourself: co-design a plan and implement with integrity…..p131
- Emergency decisions……p122
- Kids and co- parenting decisions………p122
- child care: body sitters and leaving older children home alone…p125
- Anticipating expenses……….p137
- kids and money matters…..p140
- clothing and budgets…….p143
- holidays, birthdays, and gifts…..p141
Ch08: Co- parenting at holidays and life-cycle events:…p147
- New family rituals evolve over time…..p147
- what about birthdays?.......p155
- More special occasions…….p159
Ch09: Co- parenting in public spaces:…..p163
- Emotional readiness……..p163
- sports and extracurricular activities……p165
- school and school events……p167
- forth community and religious practices……p169
- Primacy health- care and dental appointments…..p172
- peer birthday parties……..p173
- playmates and their families……….p174
- other family events in public spaces……p175
Ch10: News adults in your children’s lives:….p177
- Adult relationship101……..p177
- Introducing new romantic partners…..p179
- growth and development…….p181
- tinning, pacing and adjustment……p182
- Adult sleepovers………p188
- Romantic partner or stepparent?........189
- New partner at kid countered public events?........p192
Ch11: The Co- parenting relationship skill, acceptance and maturite:..p195
- Co-parenting relationships develop overtime……p195
- impact of changes in circumstance……p199
- Co-parent styles…………p201-203
- what if worry that my children are unsafe?.......p208
- The key to a difficult to parent: Acceptance……p209
Ch12: Raising well –Adjusted and resilient kids in Taw home family:…….p221
- Rebuild a sense of family fun…….p221
- Believe your kids will do great things…….p223
- love: the absence of Nurturing and discipline……p224
- Involve kids while protecting childhood….p225
- protect your children from adult problems…….p226
- the seven Cs: Helping kids build resilience……p227
- Give kids the gift of a happy parent……..p235
what it means to uncouple:
- separation requires that you uncouple the journey from compiled to uncoupled includes some or all following elements:
1. legal uncoupling or divorce completion, if you legally married.
2. religious or spiritual uncoupling with or without an actual ceremony, if you were religiously or spiritually married.
3. emotional uncouple which often occurs overtime though letting go.
4. physical or physiological uncoupling, which often require physical separation ant time to heal and settle your heart and nervous system.
5. restructuring a business you owned together, negotiating participation in shared groups and potentially complicating circumstances to resolve.
Separation “spouse Mind” from “parent mind”:
- spouse mind sometimes and parent mind seem to blend together.
- now notice kids of feelings that follow upset spouse mind thoughts: not so comfortable, hart on your heart, hard on your nervous system and hard on your co parent relationship.
- you can teach value without damaging your children’s relationship with their other parents.
- parents sometimes equate position parent mind with accepting a former partner’s choices, behaviors or decisions. It seems that being position toward them in any way is letting them off the hook.
- your health care provider is an excellent person to connect with if your sleep remains disrupted and you realer you’re running on adrenaline running short and patience, running scared of a an uncertain future.
- give yourself permission to take a break, find time for yourself for yourself or lean on your fiends family and other supports.
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.
Addressing questions about the emotional impact of separation, conflict, grief, and recovery, the authors provide a road map for all family members to safely navigate through separation/divorce and beyond. Through tested and reassuring guidance, parents will discover how to move from angry, hurt partners to constructive, successful co-parents who are able to put their children’s needs first.
It’s a fact that parenting is hard enough in a family where two parents love and respect each other. After divorce, when the respect has diminished, and the love has often turned to intense dislike, co-parenting can be nearly impossible, driving one or both parents to the brink of insanity. Joint Custody with a Jerk offers many proven communication techniques to help you deal with your difficult ex-husband or ex-wife.
Contents:
introduction……………………………………….pxv
Ch01: the journey through separation……..p01
- how conflict kept us connected…….pp01
- what it means to uncouple……..p03
- separation “spouse mind” from “parent mind”…….p05
- key to healing rage, and melt downs………p07
- crafting separation story: what do we tell the neighbors?..p10
- high conflict: when you Ex is stuck in blame or anger and won’t talk to you….p12
- Grief isn’t a straight forth: Anger, tears, and acceptance…p15
- forgiveness: it worth it? is it possible?.....p16
Ch02: the journey from parenting together to co-parenting Apart…p19
- Parents feelings: pacing the process……p19
- how separation impacts parenting style……p20
- Gate keeping……p24
- stepping up and stepping in……26
- the value of two good enough parents………p28
- Co-parenting as allies, not enemies……..p30
- Co-parenting goals…….p31
- your co-parenting goals…………p33
Ch03: the journey through separation for kids:…p35
- child development and adjusting to separation….p35
- what your child needs most (at any age)……p37
- Don’t kids deserve the truth? actually, no…….p38
- Explaining separation in kid language…..p39
- Kids caught in the middle of parental conflict…..p41
- Fanning the fire of parental conflict……..p44
- kids as spy or private eye: An unhealthy alliance….p45
- tips to protect kids from parental conflict…….p45
- helping children work through emotions……..p47
- when we feel too much for our kids: - compassion traps…….p51
- answering kids difficult questions………p52
Ch04: settling into a two –home family:……p57
- Building a secure base in a two home family….p57
- two 100 percent parents on a parenting schedule…..p60
- A clear residential schedule…………p62
- guide lings for managing your residential schedule…..p65
- the complexity of co- parenting long-distance…..p68
- child centered transitions…….p71
- good co- parenting hygiene: rules for the co- parenting road….p74
- sovereign time: independent parenting…….p79
- Helping grand parents and extended family join the team……p82
- what about miss kitty and fido?.........p83
Ch05: communication protocols that work:….p85
- The five Cs that guide respectful communication…….p88
- communication protocols……..p92
- Modes of communication……..p103
- Kids and communication…….p106
Ch06: decision making:……p109
- CEOs: Co-parent Executive offices……p109
- joint decision made jointly…………p112
- your dad and “I”, your Mon and “I”………p114
- Day to day decision making…..p116
- responsible informing………..p120
Ch07: Managing fiancés:……..p129
- CFOs: Co-parent financial offices…….p129
- Educate yourself: co-design a plan and implement with integrity…..p131
- Emergency decisions……p122
- Kids and co- parenting decisions………p122
- child care: body sitters and leaving older children home alone…p125
- Anticipating expenses……….p137
- kids and money matters…..p140
- clothing and budgets…….p143
- holidays, birthdays, and gifts…..p141
Ch08: Co- parenting at holidays and life-cycle events:…p147
- New family rituals evolve over time…..p147
- what about birthdays?.......p155
- More special occasions…….p159
Ch09: Co- parenting in public spaces:…..p163
- Emotional readiness……..p163
- sports and extracurricular activities……p165
- school and school events……p167
- forth community and religious practices……p169
- Primacy health- care and dental appointments…..p172
- peer birthday parties……..p173
- playmates and their families……….p174
- other family events in public spaces……p175
Ch10: News adults in your children’s lives:….p177
- Adult relationship101……..p177
- Introducing new romantic partners…..p179
- growth and development…….p181
- tinning, pacing and adjustment……p182
- Adult sleepovers………p188
- Romantic partner or stepparent?........189
- New partner at kid countered public events?........p192
Ch11: The Co- parenting relationship skill, acceptance and maturite:..p195
- Co-parenting relationships develop overtime……p195
- impact of changes in circumstance……p199
- Co-parent styles…………p201-203
- what if worry that my children are unsafe?.......p208
- The key to a difficult to parent: Acceptance……p209
Ch12: Raising well –Adjusted and resilient kids in Taw home family:…….p221
- Rebuild a sense of family fun…….p221
- Believe your kids will do great things…….p223
- love: the absence of Nurturing and discipline……p224
- Involve kids while protecting childhood….p225
- protect your children from adult problems…….p226
- the seven Cs: Helping kids build resilience……p227
- Give kids the gift of a happy parent……..p235
what it means to uncouple:
- separation requires that you uncouple the journey from compiled to uncoupled includes some or all following elements:
1. legal uncoupling or divorce completion, if you legally married.
2. religious or spiritual uncoupling with or without an actual ceremony, if you were religiously or spiritually married.
3. emotional uncouple which often occurs overtime though letting go.
4. physical or physiological uncoupling, which often require physical separation ant time to heal and settle your heart and nervous system.
5. restructuring a business you owned together, negotiating participation in shared groups and potentially complicating circumstances to resolve.
Separation “spouse Mind” from “parent mind”:
- spouse mind sometimes and parent mind seem to blend together.
- now notice kids of feelings that follow upset spouse mind thoughts: not so comfortable, hart on your heart, hard on your nervous system and hard on your co parent relationship.
- you can teach value without damaging your children’s relationship with their other parents.
- parents sometimes equate position parent mind with accepting a former partner’s choices, behaviors or decisions. It seems that being position toward them in any way is letting them off the hook.
- your health care provider is an excellent person to connect with if your sleep remains disrupted and you realer you’re running on adrenaline running short and patience, running scared of a an uncertain future.
- give yourself permission to take a break, find time for yourself for yourself or lean on your fiends family and other supports.
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.
Addressing questions about the emotional impact of separation, conflict, grief, and recovery, the authors provide a road map for all family members to safely navigate through separation/divorce and beyond. Through tested and reassuring guidance, parents will discover how to move from angry, hurt partners to constructive, successful co-parents who are able to put their children’s needs first.
It’s a fact that parenting is hard enough in a family where two parents love and respect each other. After divorce, when the respect has diminished, and the love has often turned to intense dislike, co-parenting can be nearly impossible, driving one or both parents to the brink of insanity. Joint Custody with a Jerk offers many proven communication techniques to help you deal with your difficult ex-husband or ex-wife.
July 17, 2018
Lots of good ideas and perspectives.
January 17, 2020
Excellent actionable thoughts and encouragement around a super difficult, sometimes fraught situation.
December 7, 2020
A thorough handbook for adults going through a separation/divorce with children. Ms. Bonnell provides very useful tips regarding helping children at various ages cope with the changes that a separation or divorce thrusts upon them. She also provides tips for adults in how to interact with each other respectfully, setting boundaries while making the children a priority. I found this handbook to be very thorough and well-written with plenty of relatable examples of real-life cases and how they managed to resolve their own adult issues while benefiting the children involved.
April 28, 2022
This book does a great job for giving reader a framework on how to approach both divorce as well as coming out of divorce with children being the #1 priority. In addition, provides tactful advice and a 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. This book has tons of strategies to help resolve day-to-day issues, create boundaries, and establish guidelines.
Addressing parents’ questions about the emotional impact of separation, conflict, grief, and recovery. This book has tons of strategies to help resolve day-to-day issues, create boundaries, and establish guidelines.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2020
This is a good handbook for anyone facing divorce or separation. It covers almost every topic possible with strategies and examples to help couples be good parents during a time of immense change. Read, put in on the shelf, and refer to it when necessary.
And that is about all I have to say about that .... besides I hope you never have a reason to read it.
And that is about all I have to say about that .... besides I hope you never have a reason to read it.
September 20, 2020
Page 16, "At the end of the day, separation is the result of our inability to love the other in the way that they need to be loved, whether it was humanly possible to provide enough love, whether it was from a place of not knowing how to do any better, and whether it was true fro one person or both."
January 3, 2022
Essential reading for separated parents. Every divorcing parent I meet with tells me they do not want to wreck their kids. This book will teach skills that will help parents in a two home family raise well adjusted, emotionally skilled humans. It isn't always easy but it is always worth the effort.
May 11, 2019
Everyone in this situation needs to read more than just one book like this. Many perspectives helps bring it all together when you're not surrounded by professionals. I'm grateful to work in this world and to read these books to learn other perspectives at addressing similar issues.
January 28, 2024
An incredibly helpful guide for co-parents, to help them learn the skills they need for their children.
August 29, 2022
Spells it all out. Could have used a bit more flavor. It’s fairly dry and clinical.
August 9, 2016
Although this book couldn't possibly include every scenario, and so there are a couple of common scenarios that were left out that I wish could have been covered, it was good. In particular, there are scripts of words that parents can say to children sprinkled throughout. These practical points were the book's strongest piece. In fact, the sections with advice without any practical view of how that could look were largely common-sense or common advice, and I hope that future editions will include even more examples. I do appreciate that the reasons for each bit of advice were explained thoroughly.
August 10, 2017
Separations and divorces are common in the U.S., and out of those split-ups come children living in two households. We talk to co-parenting specialist Karen Bonnell about how the parents’ behavior, ability to compromise, and desire to put the child’s needs above their own, can lead to successful parenting and well-adjusted, happy kids. Listen on Viewpoints Radio now: https://viewpointsradio.wordpress.com...
May 3, 2017
Such a helpful book. Practical and optimistic, I'm so glad I found this wonderful resource.
December 13, 2020
Balancing and helpful advice for establishing and maintaining a good two home life for families experiencing separation and divorce. I found it both thought provoking and encouraging.
November 21, 2021
I’m incredibly grateful for this book. Thank you
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews