When it comes to a child's sense of family, what divorce breaks apart, solid co-parenting rebuilds. 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 road map 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 From the Introduction: You're separating and/or getting divorced. Your whole life is about change. You're thinking ahead.
What will my life look like with my children moving back and forth between two homes? What do I need to think about, consider, prepare for? How do others do this? What are the pitfalls? I just want some way to get perspective and balance. Or. You've finished shooting the rapids-you're officially divorced/separated. You have boxes packed or unpacked; you have documents that describe your financial launch pad and a parenting plan to guide life with your children. You have a heart that is still mending whether from heartbreak or release from a marriage/relationship that ended, broke, didn't work. You're beginning a new life, with new rules, a new sense of home. You're forging a new co-parenting relationship with an old spouse/partner, armed with your commitment to do whatever is in the kids' best interest. "What exactly does that mean?" you ask.
How on earth do I navigate all the feelings, the inconvenience, uncertainty, awkwardness? How do I put my best foot forward after months of struggling to drag one foot behind the other? I knew what it meant to be a good parent when we all lived together, but how do I use those skills as a co-parent now that everything's different? This book helps answer your most pressing questions, gives you a road map and provides tools for co-parenting post-divorce/separation. We will show you ways to: Successfully work through difficult feelings while forming your "business of co-parenting relationship" Build a mutually respectful co-parenting relationship Keep your children front and center while protecting them from adult conflict and concerns Understand your children's needs as they navigate the loss and change of divorce Help your children build resilience and competence in the face of family change Implement strategies and protocols for day-to-day living in a two-home family that work".