Divorce leaves us overwhelmed and vulnerable, compromising our ability to parent well.

And despite our best intentions, we may inadvertently dismiss our kids’ feelings or put them in an uncomfortable position.

So, what can we do to gain a better understanding of what our children are going through during a divorce? How can we learn to coparent in a way that puts kids first?

Christina McGhee is the divorce-parenting expert behind Divorce and Children and author of the highly acclaimed book, Parenting Apart: How Separated and Divorced Parents Can Raise Happy and Secure Kids.

Christina is also the creator of the Co-Parenting Specialist Certification Training for divorce professionals and consulting producer of the films SPLIT: The Early Years and SPLIT UP: The Teen Years.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Christina joins Katherine to explain why it’s crucial to create space for kids to talk about their experience of divorce and how to own it when you make a parenting mistake.

Christina describes how children of divorce often feel the need to caretake their parents and struggle to recognize their own needs as they become young adults.

Listen in for Christina’s advice on validating the way kids feel (without stepping in to fix the problem first) and learn how to choose professionals who take a child-centered approach to divorce.

Topics Covered

How Christina’s parents’ divorce informs her work as a divorce-parenting expert

Why Christina credits her ‘bonus kids’ as her best teachers on parenting children of divorce

Why it’s crucial to create space for kids to talk about their experience of divorce

The challenge of owning it when you make a mistake with your kids (and why it’s so important)

The premise behind the films SPLIT: The Early Years and SPLIT UP: The Teen Years

How children of divorce often feel the need to caretake their parents and struggle with recognizing their own needs as they become young adults

How parents can be the best possible resource for kids who are navigating divorce

What it looks like to validate the way children of divorce feel without stepping in to fix the problem

Christina’s Co-Parenting Specialist Certification Training for divorce professionals

How to choose a divorce professional who takes a child-centered approach

Connect with Christina McGhee

Divorce and Children:

https://divorceandchildren.com/

Christina on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/divorceandchildren/

Christina on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/divorceandchildren

Christina on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinamcghee/en

Split Film:

https://www.splitfilm.org/

Connect with Katherine Miller

The Center for Understanding Conflict: http://understandinginconflict.org/

Miller Law Group: https://westchesterfamilylaw.com/

Katherine on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kemiller1

The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller: https://www.amazon.com/New-Yorkers-Guide-Collaborative-Divorce/dp/0692496246

Email: [email protected]

Call (914) 738-7765

Resources

Parenting Apart: How Separated and Divorced Parents Can Raise Happy and Secure Kids by Christina McGhee:

https://divorceandchildren.com/christinas-book-parenting-apart/

Christina’s Co-Parenting Specialist Certification Training:

https://divorceandchildren.com/co-parenting-specialist-training/

Ellen Bruno on Divorce Dialogues EP190:

https://divorcedialogues.miller-law.com/healing-conversations-with-children-of-divorce-with-ellen-bruno

Ellen Bruno on Divorce Dialogues EP045:

https://divorcedialogues.miller-law.com/empowering-kids-to-share-their-experience-with-divorce/