Kids tend to blame themselves when parents divorce. The Sandcastles workshop–now mandatory in over a dozen counties throughout the United States–is a half-day group session for children of divorce between the ages of 6 and 17. This intensive workshop helps kids open up and deal with their feelings through drawings, games, poetry, role playing, and other activities. Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce details many of the workshop exercises, all designed to increase communication, understanding, and togetherness between parents and kids. The book is also packed full of suggestions on everything from the best way to break the divorce news to a child (it differs according to age group) to facing the holidays, visitation, custody arrangements, anger, discipline, co-parenting, single parenting, overcompensation, sorrow, custody fights, and much more.
Author Gary Neuman never patronizes or preaches, and although he is technically a child advocate, he proves himself to be an advocate of every member of the divorcing family. Neuman takes a hands-on approach and believes that children need not be permanently scarred by divorce–that with work and time, divorce can actually become a positive force for change. A powerful tool for protecting children caught amid parental struggles, Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce should be required reading in all divorcing families. –Ericka Lutz
Read more…Good Parenting Magazine: Parenting: Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way
]]>
“Being a stepmother is like setting your hair on fire and then putting it out with a hammer!” Such description is what lead therapist and author, Jean McBride, M.S., LMFT, to write “Encouraging Words for New Stepmothers.”
A few decades ago, stepparent homes were few and in between, but today they have become almost as common as non-stepparent homes. In Why Is A Stepfather Called A Stepfather? J. F. McCormick, III., focuses on the stepfather because it seems as though the majority of stepparent homes are headed by stepfathers. He then differentiates between the bad stepfather and the good stepfather.
John Penton and Shona Welsh’s Yours, Mine and Hours: Relationship Skills for Blended Families is a valuable and much-needed guide that clearly explains how to establish and maintain a strong partnership and happy family when there are children from previous relationships involved, using the three key principles of their Recipe for Blended Family Success
According to the Stepfamily Association of America, 60 percent of all families are breaking up, and custody and visitation issues loom large in the lives of many parents. Isolina Ricci’s Mom’s House, Dad’s House guides separated, divorced, and remarried parents through the hassles and confusions of setting up a strong, working relationship with the ex-spouse in order to make two loving homes for the kids. This expanded and revised edition (the book was originally published in 1980) includes emotional and legal tools, as well as many reference materials and resources. As one parent said of the first edition, “This book is my friend.”
CHILD CUSTODY MADE SIMPLE is an indispensable guide to the strange, sometimes bewildering world of family courts. Written in clear, simple language, it answers many questions posed by separated, divorced, and never-married parents. Packed with expert tips and techniques, this informative book unlocks the secrets of family law, and shows you how to succeed in the brave new world of single parenting.
A funny, honest, and empathetic resource for the novice stepmother, which includes advice on The kids: Adjusting to suspicion, resentment, and biological-parent loyalties; The ex-wife: Living calmly alongside her, whether she’s a psycho or the perfect mother; The holidays: Accommodating old family traditions and developing new ones; The sex: Keeping love alive through the kids’ bed-wetting and nightmares. Plus an invaluable list of resources, websites, publications, and organizations specifically for the new stepmother.
The stepmother’s role often is ambiguous and under appreciated, and frequently it carries unrealistic expectations. This book answers women’s concerns and questions, including: How can I be a caretaker and a key emotional connector in the family if the children don’t accept my influence? How should I cope with children who are confused about their family and torn between loyalty to their biological mother and me?
We’ve heard from the parents and stepparents. We’ve heard from the child psychologists and family counselors. Now let the children speak.