Practice 5 Communication Skills to Prevent This!

COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS BETWEEN PARENTS CAN BE EXPENSIVE! According to the law offices of William 3. Neary, the average cost of divorce is $15,000-30,000. Child Custody Evaluations are $2,000-$10,000 and then there are moving expenses, health insurance, child custody expenses plus a whole lot more. That’s just the monetary side.

Emotionally, divorce puts the whole family through turmoil. Counseling is often recommended for parents and children.

Today’s gift shares 7 communication difficulties many parents experience and 5 communication skills to practice.

Fighting Couples Need to Make 2 Choices:

1. The decision to overcome communication breakdowns.

2. The determination to practice good communication with each other.

To download your free parenting gift, click on Subscriber Gifts.

Then insert the code word OVERCOME.

Give your family a brighter future. Practice the skills that increase love, respect, and keep your together.

Add this gift to your notebook or binder to use whenever you need it.

To get more couple help pick up Parents in Love to make your romance sizzle.

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Please let me know. Thank you so much.

With warm wishes, 

Jean Tracy, MSS

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 An Author Interview

There are the books everyone has heard about: Twilight, Hunger Games, and Fifty Shades of Gray. But what about all those books written by people you’ve never heard of? Some of them are treasures, just waiting to be found, and that’s what this blog hop is all about: the books you might not have heard about, but that you might end up loving.

Blog Hop interviews authors and shares their books and coming attractions.

Blog Hop is like a game of tag. One author posts and tags other authors who link back to their website the next week and tag new authors. If you follow the blog hop long enough, you’re bound to find some books you’ll love! Maybe you’ll even discover a book that ends up being the next big thing.

I was tagged by Dr. Par Donahue. You can learn more about his book, Messengers in Denim, and his next release,Tools for Raising Kids of Character on his website: http://www.messengersindenim.com/?page_id=4

Blog Hop includes ten questions to help you learn more about an author’s present work or work in progress. Here’s the interview with a little info about my work in progress:

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1. What is the working title of your new book?

Character Building for Kids of Divorce: Problem Solving Stories with Family Discussions

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

As a teacher and counselor, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many parents and children experiencing divorce. This book will be a useful tool to help parents learn the concerns of their children and help them through their pain. Each story will include a positive tool that children can use immediately.

Hey Mom, When's Dad Coming?

(Another Problem Solving Story with a Positive Tool for Kids)

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Child Development, Positive Psychology, Parenting

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

The cartoon characters in the stories would fit with the Charlie Brown style actors from Charles Shultz.

5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

These interactive cartoon stories help parents discuss with their children their worries and concerns about divorce through gentle discussion questions, art work, and rhymes.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I will publish it through KidsDiscuss.com as a Kindle book on Amazon.com

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I’m in the process of writing it and hope to complete it by June, 2013.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Because of its unique format, I’m not aware of other books like it.

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

As a child and family counselor, I’ve felt the hurt children experience when their parents divorce. They are my inspiration. Also my social work friends from Divorce Life Line encouraged me to write it for the parents in their classes.

Each chapter begins with a story many kids of divorce experience. Within the story, the cartoon character uses a practical tool to deal with the problem. Each tool is easy for young readers to apply.

The parent/child activities that follow give each child the opportunity to express his thoughts, feelings, and give advice to the character in the story.

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I also recommend my friend and author, Katherine Gordy Levine who is such a star in the parenting field:

Parents Are People Too: An Emotional Fitness Program for Parents

or at
http://parents-are-people-too.com/

When Good Kids Do Bad Things - A Survival Guide for Parents of Teenagers

Katherine Gordy Levine Blog

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Please support today's author and share your opinions about this blog post. Just click on the COMMENTS link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

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With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my FREE Parenting Newsletter and receive:

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Divorce is Tough on Kids. Avoid This Image

Helping Children Through the Holidays After the Divorce, writting by our divorce expert, Rosalind Sedacca, CCT, will help you with her 3 top solutions. Let's find out her parenting advice.

"When Mom and Dad divorce their children are faced with many life changes. As loving and concerned parents we try to minimize the pain and reduce the chaos brought about by new routines and schedules. We also try to focus on making this new chapter in life as positive and supportive as possible for everyone in the family.

One of the toughest transitions for children is often coping with the first holiday season. Our challenge as parents is to create new traditions and activities that can replace the memories of family holidays in the past. Here are some suggestions on how to help your children through the holiday season in the best possible spirits.

1. Show compassion:

Talk to your children about the holidays. Listen, rather than lecture, and let them vent about their feelings, regrets and frustrations.  Acknowledge what they are expressing to you and be understanding. Be aware that some children will hold their feelings in so as not to protect you. Reassure them that it’s okay to talk about their sadness as well as apprehension about what they will experience this year.

Remind your children that what they are feeling is natural and normal. Be there for them with reassurance and hugs. Also let them know that some activities will still be part of their holiday celebrations so they understand that much of life continues in the same way, despite divorce.

2. Model Responsible Behavior With Your Ex:

Studies show that children whose divorced parents get along with one another adapt much easier to the divorce.  So talk to your ex about giving your children a happy holiday season in every possible way. If you can both spend some family time together with the children, without discord, they will appreciate your efforts.  If you can’t, at least strive to make the drop-off experience peaceful and harmonious.  Never bad-mouth your ex to the children, make them your messenger or have them spy for you at their other parent’s home. Model your best, most respectful and mature interactions with your ex in front of your children so they can enjoy their childhood, especially at this time of year.

3. Start Creating Wonderful New Memories:

This year will lay the foundation for years to come. So think about new ways to celebrate, new places to visit, new foods to prepare. By creating a fresh set of traditions you will give your children something to look forward to. By replacing old memories with the new, you can make the holidays special again for them. And if they do the same in their other parent’s home, they can enjoy an even fuller experience of celebrating the holidays.

By acknowledging your children’s feelings with compassion while offering them new options for keeping the holidays special, you are giving your children an important gift: the love and support they need to overcome the challenges of being a child of divorce."

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Let's give Rosalind our heartfelt THANKS for her wise advice and 3 Solutions.

Please connect with Rosalind Sedacca, CCT. She is founder of the Child-Centered Divorce Network and author of How Do I Tell the Kids … about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook Guide to Preparing Your Children -- with Love!

For Rosalind’s free ebook on:

Post-Divorce Parenting: Success Strategies for Getting It Right, plus Rosalind's free ezine and other resources for parents, visit  http://www.childcentereddivorce.com

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What are your opinions about this blog or your suggestions for helping your kids get through the holidays? Please answer in the comment link below. Tweet us too.

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

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