Parenting After Divorce A Guide to Resolving Conflicts and Meeting Your Children's Needs Book

I really enjoyed this book, though obviously it doesn’t really fall under the umbrella of “pleasure reading”. On the face of it 95% of the book is common sense, but I think it is essential to be given a detached perspective on proceedings. It is very easy to get tied up in what a parent (or friend of a parent) considers to be their rights as opposed to what is best for the child(ren). It’s extremely easy to get bogged down in finances, locations of possessions, and general pettiness which all boil down to being less important than the child(ren) having a stable life. It was somewhat depressing to continually be putting checks in the “wrong way” column for how my parents handled their divorce. Having gone through that as a child, I was already wary of much of these “don’ts". That being said, the development of my daughter and her having a positive life is so important to me that hearing the somewhat obvious (and somewhat less obvious) with consequences backed up by both research and testimonials was incredibly useful. 100% of the book will not be useful to anyone, but I personally consider it essential reading for separating or divorcing parents, divorce attorneys, step-parents or potential step-parents, and those who work in the family court system. I also enjoyed it from the perspective of an educator. For the most part it will not inform my day-to-day actions as a teacher, but it will definitely help in terms of dealing with divorced parents of children as well as the effect it has on children. Even if I personally strive to do things one way, this does not mean that it is how everyone will do it.