When Parents Part
How Mothers and Fathers Can Help Their Children Deal with Separation and Divorce
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
A practical, comprehensively researched guide to doing the best for your child during and after separation or divorce—from the bestselling author of Your Baby & Child, one of the world’s leading experts on child development and parenting.
“Wide-ranging, incisive, and candid.... Lots of sound practical advice.” —Psychology Today
Using the latest scientific research in child development, Penelope Leach details the effects of divorce on children in five stages of life—infants, toddlers, primary-school children, teenagers, and young adults—some of whom are far more deeply affected than previously thought. She explains recent studies that overturn common assumptions, showing, for example, that many standard custody arrangements for young children can be harmful. Leach’s advice is meticulously considered and exhaustive, covering everything from access, custody, and financial and legal considerations to managing separate sets of technology in two households, and she includes the voices of parents and children to illustrate her points. Above all, she holds up “mutual parenting” as the ideal way to co-parent after a divorce, offering concrete ways for parents to put responsiveness to their children’s needs ahead of their feelings about each other.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Research psychologist Leach delivers a sobering look at the effect divorce has on families, a problem she says is at "epidemic levels." She persuasively demonstrates that it makes children particularly unhappy, but insists she is not suggesting staying married "for the sake of the children." Leach encourages couples considering divorce to employ a "child-centeredness" approach and consider each child as an individual. Her advice addresses a wide array of topics, including dealing with new spouses or partners, custody during holidays, and what to do if one parent moves far away. Leach peppers the book with comments from children, parents, and grandparents that underscore the importance of fostering the right environment. Leach's heavy emphasis on research data stumbles with her occasional use of statistics from disparate countries, an apparent effort to speak to the "English-speaking world" as a whole that American readers may find instead makes the book less specifically applicable to their concerns. Otherwise, the ample information offered here serves as a solid foundation for the steps Leach recommends for "making the most of a bad job."
