Family in Fiction

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper is an enjoyable fictional account of family life. The characters are well-defined and interesting, and the dialogue is witty and humorous. The Jewish references are more recognizable by someone who grew up in a Jewish family; however, I believe everyone can recognize parts of their own family within the characters and the events.The ending is left open and somewhat undefined. Although that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book, others may find it to have a lack of closure.

How Parenting Plans Help Children

A Parenting Plan provides a structure for parenting. It explains in detail how the parents will exchange and contact the children, how the parents share important information, and how they will discuss important decisions.

Children have the right to love both of their parents and not have to choose one of their parents over the other. Parenting Plans provide a method for the parents to create a loving, strong relationship between the children and both parents. They provide ways for children and parents to spend additional time together on top of the regular time sharing schedule. They provide the method for parents to communicate about activities, happenings, and other special events.

Children do not belong in the middle of their parent’s dispute. Sometimes parents are so emotionally caught up in their disputes, they unintentionally involve their children. Parenting Plans provide a method for communicating and decision-making between parents with the goal of avoiding arguments in the children’s presence. Parenting Plans also provide alternative methods to settle disputes. Effective use of these alternative methods reduces the anger and hostility and leads to better decisions for the children.

Co-Parenting tips from a mediator

I found this great article on co-parenting written by Brian James, a Divorce mediator in Illinois and Wisconsin.