Co-Parent Dilemmas

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A listener asks about introducing his new dating partner to the children. Diane & Rick explore all of the risks and benefits of introducing too soon, how it affects children, and talking to his co-parent about it. Should he hold on and do it his way or let it go and take more time to think it through?

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CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...

Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HERE

Tiffany from Georgia writes to ask how she can get her co-parent to communicate with her instead of his new wife. Diane and Rick explore both sides of the issue when a step-parent is actually better at communicating than the co-parent, as well as when the step-parent makes it worse. Also, discussed in this episdoe is a weekly email protocol and Diane and RIck use in their parenting coordination practices.

We've added the structured email protocol link here (in court order language) for listeners to use as a guide:

https://cnfc.org/documents

Support the show

>>>>CONTACT US  >>>>RATE THE SHOW  >>>>VISIT OUR WEBSITE

CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...

Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HERE

Diane and Rick answer a question about what to do when the court-ordered parenting plan is vague, unclear, and doesn't account for practical situations -- especially when your co-parent likes to be the parenting plan police!  Chris from Ohio says his plan states he cannot leave the state without informing his co-parent. But he lives only a few miles from the state line, and his ex filed a contempt against him when he took the kids to have lunch with his cousin in a neighboring state. Should he let it go and resign himself to reporting his every movement across state lines, or should he hold on to the conflict and fight it out in court?

Support the show

>>>>CONTACT US  >>>>RATE THE SHOW  >>>>VISIT OUR WEBSITE

CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...

Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HERE

Jerome from Mississippi poses a heart-breaking dilemma for Diane and Rick to address - what to do when the other parent isn't consistent with her visitation. Do you let it go and just ignore broken promises that disappoint the children? Or do you try to hold the other parent accountable when she makes promises to the kids that she'll likely break? In this episode, co-parents can learn how to make this issue about the children's need to feel loved, rather than focusing on the unfairness of the situation.

Support the show

>>>>CONTACT US  >>>>RATE THE SHOW  >>>>VISIT OUR WEBSITE

CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...

Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HERE

Sarah from London asks a common question about achieving the balance between "friendship" with a co-parent vs. moving on separately.  Diane and Rick talk about the risks of holding on to a relationship that didn't work in marriage as opposed to letting go by setting healthy boundaries, not only for the adults but also for the children. 

Support the show

>>>>CONTACT US  >>>>RATE THE SHOW  >>>>VISIT OUR WEBSITE

CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...

Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HERE

Everyone knows that court-ordered parenting time is sacred, but some co-parents think they have legitimate reasons to withhold visitation from the other parent. With the recent COVID crisis, this is an increasingly sticky situation. Diane and Rick unpack the most common excuses parents use to justify going against the court order and how the other parent can respond.

Support the show

>>>>CONTACT US  >>>>RATE THE SHOW  >>>>VISIT OUR WEBSITE

CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...

Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HERE

There is no issue that will put the kids in the middle more than conflict about a child's cell phone! Diane and Rick talk about the importance of seeing this issue from the child's point of view, and they share tips for creating court order language that will help guide them on phone communication with children. Here are the rules discussed in this episode:

To access the phone communication protocol mentioned in this episode, CLICK HERE.

Support the show

>>>>CONTACT US  >>>>RATE THE SHOW  >>>>VISIT OUR WEBSITE

CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...

Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HERE

Diane and Rick answer Kaylie's question about both co-parents attending a child's doctor's or other professional's appointments. Is it worth the fight to both be there? Or should one parent let it go? In this episode, they will unpack the importance of reframing the problem to think about how it must feel to the child instead of winning the argument. Learning to say "yes,: even when it's annoying, or accept "no" without complaining, is one of the most difficult concepts co-parents must learn to save their children from a lot of negative memories. 

Support the show

>>>>CONTACT US  >>>>RATE THE SHOW  >>>>VISIT OUR WEBSITE

CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...

Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HERE

Most high-conflict co-parents work hard to not talk to one another to avoid conflict, but what do they do when they have a real concern and want to share an opinion? Diane and Rick respond to Brandon's voicemail dilemma about what to do when his co-parent is not taking care of their child like he does. There is something in between not sharing at all and trying to control the other parent. The balance is in strategizing to optimize the best outcome using respectful words, giving the other parent the benefit of the doubt, and inviting feedback.

Support the show

>>>>CONTACT US  >>>>RATE THE SHOW  >>>>VISIT OUR WEBSITE

CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...

Have a quick question to be explored on the show? Send us a text message! Include your email address if you would like a personal response. Click HERE

Phrases like crazy-making, gas-lighting. twisting words, and avoiding responsibility, are just a few of the many complaints made by the co-parent who is frustrated with a narcissistic co-parent. Diane and Rick address Paul from Phoenix who wants help with his. Although changing someone with personality flaws of any type is nearly impossible, using protective boundaries in communication can minimize conflict and add years to your life!

Support the show

>>>>CONTACT US  >>>>RATE THE SHOW  >>>>VISIT OUR WEBSITE

CO-PARENT RESOURCES:

• Subscribe to Diane’s DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR FRUSTRATED CO-PARENTS and get a one-month FREE trial 
• If you want to learn more about Diane & Rick’s D.R.A.G.O.N. method for finding co-parenting peace, purchase their book,  I AM NON-IMPOSSIBLE  
• THE CO-PARENT TOOLBOX , is Diane Dierks’ guide for co-parents 
• CLICK HERE for FREE communication resources for co-parents  
• For valuable co-parent workshop videos and products, visit our Non-Impossible STORE!
• To get a special discount on therapy visit BetterHelp

FOR DIVORCE PROFESSIONALS:

• IMPACT training to learn how to...