This is a part of the Parents Forever curriculum developed specifically for divorcing and never-been-married parents. It gives an overview of the emotions and reactions children typically experience when their parents divorce. This booklet was newly revised and redesigned in 2010 and now features more worksheets for parents.

Contents

Part 1: How Children Experience Family Transition

• Introduction (488 K PDF)
• The Journey Through Family Transition
• What Affects a Child's Adjustment to Divorce?
• How to Talk to Your Children About Divorce
• Grief and Loss
• Is There a Difference Between Divorce and Death?
• How Loss Affects My Child
• Ambiguous Loss
• When Children Cycle Through Grief and Loss
• Psychological Tasks for Children Experiencing Divorce
• Family Transition: What Children Need from Their Parents as They Grow
• The Early Years
• Infants (Birth to About 18 Months)
• Toddlers (18 Months to 3 Years)
• Preschool (3 to 5 Years)
• The Elementary Years
• Early Elementary (6 to 8 Years)
• Late Elementary (9 to 12 Years)
• Adolescence
• Young Adults
• What My Child Needs
• Divorce and Family Transition: Through Your Child's Eyes
• Emotion Coaching: A Tool to Help Your Child (766 K PDF)
• "Games" Parents Play
• Are You Working With or Against the Other Parent?
• What Are the "Games" Parents Play?
• Respect for the Other Parent Is a Gift You Give Your Child
• Abandonment
• Abandonment Happens in Different Ways
• What to Say to Your Child About Abandonment
• Are You Alienating Your Child from Their Other Parent?
• Strengthening Your Communication Skills
• "I" Messages
• Active Listening

Part 2: Co-parenting Your Children

• Children's Rights and Parents' Responsibilities
• Building Your Co-parenting Relationship
• Four Approaches to Co-parenting Relationships
• Parallel Parenting
• Co-parenting Is Your Business
• Parenting for Families in Transition
• Parenting Styles
• How Positive Is Your Parenting Style?
• Parenting Tools
• Strategies for Shared Parenting
• Custody
• What Type of Custody Arrangement Should We Have?
• Making Custody a Win-win Solution (640 K PDF)
• Parenting Time: Through Your Child's Eyes
• Parenting Plans
• Conclusion
• Important Information About Our Child
• References
• Notes
• Copyright Information

For Parents Forever Instructors

See the related Educator Package:

See the related Educator Package:

• Parents Forever: The impact of Divorce on Children Educator Package

Save by ordering this booklet in a Parents Forever package:

• Parents Forever: Education for Families in Divorce Transition (with DVD)
• Parents Forever: Complete Set of Parent Handbooks

Save 20% on orders of 100 or more, or 25% on orders of 300 or more!

An older version of this booklet is available online in Spanish:

• Padres para siempre: Guia para los padres en el impacto del divorcio en los ninos (Parents Forever: The Impact of Divorce on Children Parent Handbook - Spanish).

See the related program: Parents Forever