"Does Wednesday Mean Mom's House or Dad's?" Parenting Together While Living Apart, 2nd Edition

by Marc J. Ackerman (North Shore Psychotherapy Associates, Milwaukee, WI )

• ISBN13: 9780470257203
• ISBN10: 0470257202
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2008-06-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Thorough in coverage and updated with topics that affect today's families, Does Wednesday Mean Mom's House or Dad's?, Second Edition helps you keep your children in the number-one, priority spot before, during, and after your divorce. Nonjudgmental in tone, the new edition will show you how to put your kids' best interests first as you work with your spouse to parent together while living apart.

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

A House Divided

Facts About Divorce

Moving Ahead: Telling Children About Divorce

Concrete Thinkers in an Abstract Situation

When Your Child is No Longer a Child

Boys and Girls React Differently

Adjustments Abound

Mourning the End of a Marriage

Not Enough Hours in the Day, Not Enough Friends in the World

One Magical Wish

Custody Options: The Best Interest of the Child

Joint versus Sole Custody

Chronic Mental Illness Leads to a Topsy-Turvy World

Active Alcoholism or Other Drug Abuse and Children Don't Mix

Physical or Sexual Abuse: Confounding Dilemmas

Violating Orders, Communication Failure, Obstructing Visits

Endangering Your Children

Separate Lives Under One Roof, Then the Great Divide

Giving Up Placement

Grandparents: Help or Hindrance

Navigating the Legal Waters

Finding An Attorney

Don't be Attracted by Unrealistic Promises

Avoid "Hired Guns" and "Dirty Tricks" Attorneys

Switching Attorneys

Telling Your Story in Court

Acting as Your own Attorney

Mediation as a First Step

Collaboration

Arbitration

The Court Process

The Guardian ad Litem

The Custody Study

Custody Evaluation

To Supervise or Not To Supervise

Removal Cases

Going Back to Court

Kidnapping

Two of Everything? Dealing with the Practicalities of Placement and Custody

Placement of Young Children

The Ackerman Plan

Bad Schedules

General Rules

Separating Children

Uninterrupted Time

Different Cities: Creating a Placement Road Map

Making Things Work under New Rules

The Master Schedule

Visits and Flexibility Work Hand and Hand

Dividing Property with an Eye on Details

Parents' Rights

College Education

Religious Training

Phone Calls

Presents

Vacations

Finances

Parents Working after Divorce

How to Parent Apart

The Family Conference: Increasing Avenues of Communication

A United Front

Making Placement Better

Power to the Children

Children as Coequals

Sleeping Arrangements

Children in the Middle

A Different Sort of Communication

Fighting in Front of the Children

Where to Live

Problems with the Other Parent

Parents Who Won't Visit

Lack of Cooperation

The Mentally Ill Parent

Maltreatment

Physical Abuse

Who Will Be the Abusers?

Proving Abuse

Consequences of Childhood Physical Abuse

Family/Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence and Custody

To Stay or Not to Stay: Is That Your Quandry?

Emotional/Psychological Abuse

Sexual Abuse

Who Are the Sexual Abusers?

Evaluatiang Sexual Abuse

If You Think Your Child Has Been Sexually Abused

Sexual Abuse Allegations: True or False

Devastating Effects of Sexual Abuse

Warnings

The Only Certainty in Life is Change

Move-Away Placement Plan

Longer Lasting Reactions

A Plan to Make Everyone Feel Better

The Challenge of Additional Adjustments

Remarriage

The Role of the Stepparent

Disciplining Children

Cementing Relationships

The Other Extended Family

Change as Children Grow Older

Chapter IX. Custody Do's and Don'ts

A Boy Named Chris

Custody Do's

Custody Don'ts

Chapter X. Resources Abound

Psychiatrists

Psychologists

Social Workers

Professional Organizations

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.