Current & Noteworthy

Summer Tips for Divorced or Separated Parents

Summer can be a stressful time for parents. While they’re often filled with warmth and excitement, they can become overwhelming with parenting schedules, child care, and stress. Read a few tips that can help make this season change a bit more meaningful.
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Making the Best of Co-Parenting Situations During the Holidays

The holidays are just around the corner! While they’re often joyful and happy, they can also be stressful times for any family. However, this season can be especially tough for families that are recently separated or divorced, or are contemplating breaking up.
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Back to School Tips for Families

Returning to school after summer vacation can be difficult at the best of times, but it poses additional challenges for children if a separation or divorce occurred over the holidays. Here's advice to help your children answer questions from schoolmates- and how to know when to seek professional help for your child.
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Tips for Parenting Infants Through Separation or Divorce

Infants attach to their parents at about 6-7 months. It is very important that they interact with both parents if possible, regularly and often. A good rule of thumb for infants who have become attached to both parents is that they have contact with both parents every other day or every third day.
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Designing a Successful Parenting Plan

Virginia Satir, a well-known psychologist in the family and divorce field, once said, “Parents are teachers of human beings, not owners of human beings.” This is a wise view to keep in mind when creating your parenting plan. A child needs the love and affection of both parents, but they also need both as teachers. These roles should override your desire to “own” your children. Ultimately, you cannot own them: you can only prepare them for their future. How well you prepare them will ultimately reflect your qualities as parents.
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Divorce and Older School-Aged Children

Children age nine to twelve respond to a break-up very differently than their younger counterparts. This group is more advanced in their thinking. They are able to see many points of view in the matter. Most of the children in this age group can understand some of the reasons for the break-up. They will seriously and bravely try to make the best of it.
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Advantages of Shared Parenting

From a physical standpoint, those who share parenting are far less likely to “burn out.” Demands are intense when trying to raise children alone. Sharing this burden can be of great benefit to both parents and especially the children.
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New Year Co-Parenting Tips

Going through a divorce can be extremely difficult on children. It can be especially tough to determine custody and supervision matters. One issue that inevitable arises is where the child can stay overnight. This article discusses the benefits of having children staying overnight at each of their co-parent's homes.
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2015 Judicial & Family Law Education Topics

Donald Archer Gordon, Ph.D. is internationally recognized as one of the top experts in the field of parent/child relationships. For more than three decades his research and work has focused on developing and refining evidence-based family and parenting interventions. Dr. Gordon has been a pioneer in developing effective online parenting programs.
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Protecting Children From Conflict

It’s impossible to avoid conflict completely, but you can learn to control it. Here are nine useful tips for reducing the harmful effects of conflict during and after divorce.
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Solving the Growing Never Married Parent Dilemma for Courts and Divorce Professionals

A significant number of never married couples raise children and live together for many years. While not legally married, their relationship dynamics at breakup are similar to married, divorcing parents. There is no evidence that this group of parents pose a different challenge for the courts and divorce professionals than their married counterparts.
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In-Person or Online: Does class format make a difference?

Since 2007, CDE has engaged with courts and judges across the country in a dialogue around parent education and the in-class and online formats. Judges from different parts of the United States expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of an online program vs. traditional, in-person, face-to-face class. Can a class delivered in an online format really be as effective as one led by a trained facilitator?
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