Valentine’s Day after Separation or Divorce My standard holiday advice: Plan something that you will look forward to and enjoy doing on the holiday. Don’t sit home crying over the absence of your ex. Get together with friends for dinner, […]
How Divorce Affects Children Most children do not want their parents to get divorced. They may feel angry, depressed, and/or scared. It may take them some time to regain their sense of security. Most, however, are resilient. They learn to […]
Court Orders: Read Them Today’s tip: If you have a Court Order about custody, visitation, or support, read it at least once a year. You may have rights or obligations that you have forgotten about. One time I worked with […]
For The Sake Of The Children by guest author Dave Flook Sometimes the consequences of our actions are not apparent until it’s too late. Several months ago I was approached by a girl in her mid-teens. She mentioned that she […]
Stress Management During Divorce The process of getting divorced is extremely stressful for many people. They worry about their kids; they may not have enough money; they suddenly have to make major changes in their lives; they may be riding […]
Does Family Dinner Make a Difference for Teens? Teens who often eat dinner with the family apparently: have better relationships with their parents, get better grades, use tobacco, alcohol and other drugs less than other teens, and like having dinner […]
Child Support A divorced dad once told me how he thought about child support. “My ex-wife committed the crime of taking my child away from me, and now I have to pay her for it.” I get it. That is […]
Venting about Your Ex Can Damage Your Child Telling your child awful things about your ex usually damages your child and frequently backfires. As a family mediator, I hear one parent say horrible things about the other parent all […]
Children’s Holiday Memories A question for separated, divorced, and never-married parents: What kinds of holiday memories are you creating for your children? Joyful, generous, grateful celebrations in two households? Parents squabbling over who gets the kids […]
Frustrations of a Family Mediator 1. I cannot fix everything for everybody. People have the personalities, anxieties, hostilities, and blind spots that they have, and I cannot always get them to think and speak from the best parts of themselves […]