In 2005, the Texas Legislature revised child custody by requiring that the parties or a judge develop a parenting plan to allocate rights and duties. The elements of a parenting plan include who may exercise various parental rights and duties, who will pay child support and whether a parenting coordinator is needed to facilitate co-parenting post-divorce. Parents submit a proposed parenting plan … [Read more...] about What is a Parenting Plan?
Co-Parenting After Divorce
No Need to Reinvent the Wheel: Technology to make Co-parenting Easier
After divorce, communicating with the other parent in a child focused, businesslike manner can be maximized when parents utilize online systems for parents raising kids in two homes. These centrally located programs can assist parents in developing weekly schedules for the kids, provide logistical information, build a searchable history and timeline of key events for children as information … [Read more...] about No Need to Reinvent the Wheel: Technology to make Co-parenting Easier
3 Rules for Introducing a “Step” Parent to Kids
I have had the pleasure of working with families during their transitions, their initial divorce, post-divorce modifications or a second marriage. I started using the language “Bonus Parents and Bonus Kids” when children had anxiety around the idea of a stepparent. I remember as a kid thinking all stepparents must be like Cinderella’s evil stepmother. Kiddos that I counsel still have those fears … [Read more...] about 3 Rules for Introducing a “Step” Parent to Kids
Challenges for the Stay-at-Home Parent Facing Divorce
Due to many factors, such as increasing child care costs, philosophical resolve, or stress of managing home and life, many couples make a conscious decision at some point in their marriage to have only one parent work outside the home. When parents make the decision to divorce, one of the many difficult aspects to consider occurs when one parent is displaced as he or she has not worked in the … [Read more...] about Challenges for the Stay-at-Home Parent Facing Divorce
The Five Great Fears of Divorce
In 1941, a few months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt spoke of the Four Freedoms – freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. In World War II, the Japanese army operated in China under what has come to be known as the Three All’s – kill all, burn all and loot all. Sayings need not be connected with uplifting events or good … [Read more...] about The Five Great Fears of Divorce
Holiday Time-Sharing When You Are a “Different (Divorced) Kind of Family”
Holidays are a time for families. There is perhaps no more difficult time to be divorced than during the holiday season when everywhere that you look you see a reminder of what you have lost. In light of how hard it is for divorced adults to get through the holidays, it is just as hard for your children when their “new normal” or their “different kind of family” means they are sharing their … [Read more...] about Holiday Time-Sharing When You Are a “Different (Divorced) Kind of Family”
Happy Holidaze
The holiday season can be a time of merriment when celebrating with family and friends. Parents raising children in two homes, alternating time with the other parent may experience feelings of anxiousness or sadness during this time. Instead of grieving past family traditions, parents are encouraged to follow the following guidelines so that they might provide their children the best holiday … [Read more...] about Happy Holidaze
Co-parenting, Technology and the 21st Century
Avoiding the Pitfalls Thanks to affordable mobile technology, there has never been a time like now when co-parents and children are quickly and easily accessible. It is easy to see the benefits of such technology: access to children’s events, news, instantly communicating with your family. For co-parents, strategic planning is needed to avoid any of the pitfalls these tools might bring. Text … [Read more...] about Co-parenting, Technology and the 21st Century
How Collaborative Divorce Can Help Couples Who Are “Stuck”
If you're feeling "stuck" in your marriage (or in your divorce proceedings), collaborative divorce can help you. We ran across an interesting article recently from the folks at the Tennessee Collaborative Divorce Blog about couples who are "stuck" and have come to begrudgingly accept their own "stuck stories." These couples, according to the article, have a narrative in which they're out of … [Read more...] about How Collaborative Divorce Can Help Couples Who Are “Stuck”
Co-Parents: 10 Tips to Keep It Cool When It’s Hot Out
Summer co-parenting can be challenging; when the temperature gets hotter, here's how to stay cool. As the summer heats up, sometimes co-parenting can be emotionally charged for all parties, so it can be easy to let anger get the best of you. While being angry is acceptable and natural and you may have no control over how you perceive the actions of your co-parent, you are most certainly … [Read more...] about Co-Parents: 10 Tips to Keep It Cool When It’s Hot Out
