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Tag Archives: co-parenting
Talking With Your Kids About Your Divorce – Podcast
As if getting a Massachusetts divorce wasn’t already stressful, once you and your spouse decide that is where you are heading you need to talk to the children about the transitions ahead. Talking with your kids about your divorce can be a sad and stressful conversation. Many of our clients are anxious about this, yet with some planning it can go smoothly and you will be better prepared. Previously, I wrote a blogpost on Telling Your Kids About Your Divorce. I had a lot of good feedback on this post from parents. Because this topic so frequently comes up [...]
Six Stages of Divorce Mediation…and an Optional Van Ride
By Attorney & Mediator Stephen McDonough So, you have been doing some research about the benefits of divorce mediation, but what are the stages of a typical divorce mediation? Once you and your spouse select a divorce mediator, he or she should provide a framework and structure to the process. In my view, there are six main stages of a typical divorce mediation: 1. Introductory – Stage 1 lays the groundwork for the rest of your divorce mediation. Information regarding the mediation process and your client agreement will be explained. Actually this stage starts during your initial contact with the [...]
Telling Your Kids About Your Divorce
By Stephen F. McDonough, Massachusetts Divorce Attorney & Mediator at The Divorce Collaborative LLC. I would also like to acknowledge two experienced and caring mental health practitioners that I frequently work with, Dr. Sandy Portnoy and Betsy Ross, LICSW, CGP. They provided insights about this topic during many divorce mediation and collaborative divorce sessions. And you thought the birds and bees talk was going to be stressful. Telling your children about your divorce is a difficult conversation that parents dread. Basically, the key to speaking to your children about your divorce is the same as if you were painting a room [...]
Divorce and Parenting – 10 Steps to Make it Successful From Your Child’s Point of View
For children – no matter what age – divorce can be a major source of distress. The article below was written by Betsy Ross, an experienced therapist and divorce coach from Sharon, Massachusetts. At The Divorce Collaborative LLC in Franklin, MA, Betsy is frequently part of the mediation process for couples that select the firm’s comprehensive fixed-fee mediation program or a collaborative divorce. Betsy wrote the article below from the child’s point of view – a point of view that should be of paramount importance for divorcing or post-divorce couples. I hope you find the article helpful, and [...]
Tips for Surviving the Holidays During and After Divorce by Steve McDonough, Esq.
The Holiday season is upon us. Some people, like my mom for instance, love the holidays. Decorating is a multi-week process and there are so many ornaments on the tree that she and my step-father must deploy a support cable attached to a nearby wall to help hold it up. It is about what you would expect to see on a large suspension bridge. Between December 1st and the end of January (we have lots of January birthdays in the family) I estimate that my mother will host or attend (mostly host) somewhere in the area of 624 social events. [...]
Stay Happily Married Podcast – Spouse Going Back to School
Attorney Lee Rosen is the owner of The Rosen Law Firm in North Carolina. I worked at his firm right out of law school in what I now term “the southern experiment.” Rosen Law Firm also sponsors the Stay Happily Married website. Besides being a successful and insightful divorce attorney and business owner, Lee is an expert in law firm technology and marketing. This podcast reminded me of how much fun it was going to school at night while married to a working spouse and with two small children. Luckily, having a patient and supporting spouse made [...]
Suggested Reads
There are two books that I frequently suggest to clients with school-age children, so I thought it might be helpful to reference them in a short post. An overwhelming amount of material exists on divorce, some of it good and some of it harmful. When you do find a helpful resource, don’t foget to share it with your spouse as early in the process as possible. The first is The Good Divorce by Constance Ahrons, Ph.D. This book provides valuable information for families making the transition from a nuclear family to a “binuclear” family that spans two households while [...]
