Many speculators cite communication problems as the cause of breaking down relationships on the bumpy dirt road that leads to filing for divorce. Poor communication skills and habits can be the result of cultural influences ranging from familial upbringing to societal/media trends of language and gender dynamics. Whatever the cause,…
Last Tuesday we discussed The Basics of Creating a Parenting Plan, including the basic terminology. As we emphasized, and re-emphasized, each family needs their own parenting plan because each family is different. But as children grow, their parenting plan should too. We aren’t trying to tell parents how to raise…
All of us have a romantic past containing at least a few woes and regrets, especially if divorce is sitting distractingly in that looming past. But when it comes to entering the dating game to seek new love, those events should safely remain in the distant background. Although previous experiences…
Like delicate snowflakes, every person (and family) is different, which is exactly why there is no one-size-fits-all parenting plan. Although the term “parenting plan” sounds like divorcing parents are given a set of parenting tips and instructions, that’s not the case. In the most basic explanation, a parenting plan outlines…
The divorce process is hard for everyone involved, but perhaps even more so for children. The already vulnerable state of children makes emotional trauma all the more potent and powerful enough to affect other aspects of a child’s life and growth. In particular, the emotional trauma of separation from a…
Whenever you teach a child about the birds and the bees, you’re being a lot more accurate than you may realize. It turns out that human mating has more in common with birds than most fellow mammals, besides the loving prairie vole mammals of course. Birds and prairie voles are…
As a recent or long time divorcee, every now and then you may feel like raising a glass to the cathartic phrase, “Marriage is dead.” But what if the institution of marriage really was following the path of the dodo bird, as many studies suggest? Many keyboard pundits (who are…
It’s becoming more and more common for men and women to “shack up” before marriage, regardless of their previous plans to marry. At the same time, the divorce rate remains high, and people are delaying first marriages in general. As these trends of cohabitation and marriage delayment gain steam over…