The Coparenting Collective

A big family with multiple parents and many siblings can feel overwhelming to a small child. That's how Florence feels as she tries to figure out how to complete her family tree project for Ms. Collin's class at school. Follow along as Rosalie reads the sweet tale of "Florence and Her Fantastic Family Tree" by Judy Gilliam to her daughter while pointing out the beautiful benefits of having a large, loving family. To purchase the book, visit thecoparentingcollective.com

As a guest on Conversations To Cut The Conflict podcast hosted by award-winning alternative dispute resolution expert Lisanne Iriks, Rosalie opens up about her struggles to cope as a new co-parent and how she finally got out of emotional purgatory, regained her self-confidence, and diffused her hostile ex.

Want to help your children to develop the confidence to seek out healthy relationships as they grow up? Avoid these toxic parenting behaviors. In this episode, we cite an article by internationally-recognized psychotherapist Amy Morin, LCSW, to highlight ten sneakily insidious parenting traits and how they can quickly they can ruin a child's mental health and ability to identify safe environments. *Article originally published in Business Insider, July 11, 2020.

After Rosalie reads "What Matters Most" by Emma Dodd to her youngest daughter over breakfast, their conversation about the book evolves into a cute little gab session about life. To grab your copy of this book, visit www.thecoparentingcollective.com/books

Part 2/2: We continue with Brooke's story as she is making plans to meet her bonus daughters' mom for the first time face-to-face. What do they talk about? What's the outcome? Does it change anything? More importantly, can they break through the barriers of parallel parenting to create a healthier environment for the twins? Listen in to find out! You won't believe your ears. 

Part 1/2: Meet Brooke @miss.brookemichelle, a down-to-earth social services case manager in California. Four years ago, she fell head over heels for a hard-working, devoted single father of twin girls. As they cemented their relationship - and she bonded with his children - she was shunned and borderline harassed by the girl's mother, a woman she had never met. Brooke tried numerous times to break the ice with her boyfriend's ex, but she faced an uphill battle as the bystander in their toxic parallel parenting dynamic. It was hard for her to watch the toll it was taking on the girls. Find out what happens when Brooke tries to be a force for good.

It's common for co-parents to feel conflicted about gift-giving on special occasions. If you're on the fence about it, this episode might help. Listen in as Rosalie shares the three reasons she supports gifting on behalf of her co-parented kids and how she reconciled doing so even when it wasn't reciprocated. Visit www.thecoparentingcollective.com to learn more.

As separated parents, we all worry about what we're leaving behind and what the future holds for our children, but there are ways to displace those fears. Learn how in this thought-provoking episode. *Recorded as part of Divorce for Love's expert panel on Facebook. 

In this episode, Rosalie talks to a Floridian mom and stepmom, Kim Rose of @_perfectlyimperfectfamily_ on Instagram. After separating from her first husband, she found herself playing the "mom card" when it came to sharing her toddler son, a move she wholly regrets. But, as life would have it, meeting her second husband and witnessing the anguish he was going through with his daughter's mother, helped reverse those thoughts and open her mind to the importance of co-parenting as a team. Five years later, she is perfectly happy with life in her blended family except for one major component she still hopes will change, before it's too late. Visit us at thecoparentingcollective.com for more advice and resources.

New York-based single father, Tony @weekendwithjacob, is meeting the challenges of co-parenting his toddler son guided by a court order and a tone-modulating co-parenting app. He tells Rosalie that it wasn't easy to reconcile his emotions after the end of his stormy relationship due to the heavy toll it took on him. Still, unlike his father before him, he is determined to be the best father he can be no matter who tries to stand in his way.