Description

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Written for both biological parents and stepparents, this helpful guide provides the tools necessary to raising well-adjusted children after a stressful divorce. Innovative in its technique and cowritten by a certified divorce and stepfamily expert and her own stepchildren's mother, this etiquette book provides an authentic guide for ex-spouses to interact on a civil and healthy level. Sample conversation for everyday scenarios help exes create a positive environment and ensure the mental and physical well-being of the children. Whether it's coordinating discipline between households, introducing a new partner, dealing with late child support payments, or providing a regular schedule for children, this guide empowers parents to change what they can—their attitudes and communication skills. In doing so, divorced parents can increase their self-esteem and personal growth and emerge confident that they can handle awkward situations and powerful emotions while keeping the children's best interests a priority.

About the Author

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Jann Blackstone-Ford, M. A., is a certified divorce and stepfamily mediator. She has contributed to The Christian Science Monitor, Redbook, and Working Mother. The stepfamily and divorce expert for Parent Soup, the parenting channel of iVillage, she is also the founder and director of Bonus Families, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the peaceful coexistence between separated or divorced parents and their new families. She is the author of The Custody Solution Sourcebook, Midlife Motherhood, and My Parents Are Divorced, Too. Sharyl Jupe is a regular columnist for the Bonus Families web site. Together they raise two children they share through marriage.

Praise For…

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"Jann and Sharyl have built an extrodinary friendship out of an awkward situation: Jann is married to Sharyl's ex-husband. Despite their initial dislike for each other, their friendship now reflects the joy in shared parenting." —Oprah.com

"Sometimes the most unlikely people end up the best of friends. Jann and Sharyl's surprising story reveals that sometimes strong bonds, one that will enrich your life, can pop up in the most unexpected places." —Woman's Day