relationships Archives - Page 2 of 12

9 Things You Need To Know To Coparent After Divorce

May 17, 2017May 16, 2017 Heather LeRoss coparenting, divorce0 comment

I was chatting with a friend recently about the differences in the way we coparent with our exes. “You and your ex have such a good coparenting style. Your kids are well adjusted and it seems to work. I wish I could have that.” I started to respond with, “You can!” because deep down, I really want to believe that. I sat down to write and started thinking about all the people I know who are coparenting and it struck me: they’re all doing different things. This is because each…

What It Really Means to Love “Like a Mother”

May 16, 2017May 16, 2017 Kate Chapman adoption, blended family, defining motherhood, foster care, motherhood0 comment

She stands in the kitchen looking at me. Her hair is stringy and needs to be brushed. She’s shifting from side to side uncomfortably, unsure of what I’m doing there or what to say. Her brother overdosed last night. Her mother is my good friend, and the swirling vortex of grief and community sucked me into her kitchen, stocking the refrigerator and tidying the counters because that feels like something when there’s nothing. “I don’t know how to make lasagna,” she says, glancing at the pan I’m sliding into the…

Why Mother’s Day Stinks

May 14, 2017May 15, 2017 Guest Contributor depression, mental illness, Mother's Day0 comment

I just don’t even know why I try anymore. All I hope for is a day that I’m the important one. A day that my children want to actually BE with me. A day where they get along—and so do my husband and I. A day that makes my heart beat and my butterflies flutter. Just one day out of an entire year to feel like I’m the most important person in the world. Some moms prefer to have the day alone. Other moms prefer to go to the bathroom…

Happy Mother’s Day to My Children’s StepMom

May 12, 2017May 11, 2017 Darla Halyk blended family, Mother's Day, stepmom, Stepmother0 comment

When my daughter came home to tell me her Father, (my ex-husband), had asked his girlfriend to marry him, she was beaming. She proudly pulled out her phone to show me a picture of the bling he placed upon her left finger. Her eyes brightened while her smile splashed infinite love. Scarcely containing her excitement, she happily announced, she was going to have a new stepmother. I don’t know how to describe the emotions I felt at that moment. There isn’t a canned response for “your ex-husband is remarrying, and…

Keeping Your Eye on the Ball Post-Divorce

May 11, 2017May 9, 2017 Guest Contributor blended family, coparenting, divorce0 comment

When I saw the story that went viral over the parents and step-parents in jerseys supporting their kid it actually made a lot of sense to me. After all, positive co-parenting after separation is all about keeping your eye on the ball—the ball being your kid. Because of us, I will never believe co-parenting can’t work! I KNOW through experience it CAN WORK! Choose to do what’s best for your child and everything will just fall into place ❤ Posted by Emilee Plaayer on Saturday, 15 April 2017 My ex and…