Co-Parenting When You Really Can’t Stand Your Former Spouse

Let’s face it, divorce can be messy. While the goal for many couples is get to a place of peace with one another, it can take time — often a great deal of time — to get there. If you and your soon-to-be former spouse don’t have children, taking a break during the divorce process is as easy as letting his or her calls go to voice mail when you don’t want to talk. But what about when children are added to the mix? Dealing with issues such as child custody arrangements, who helps your child with his homework, and who gets called in case of emergency at school, typically require both parents to communicate frequently and stay in close touch. Read more

Understanding the Signs of Parental Alienation

Your child’s other parent won’t let you talk on the phone to your son or daughter. Your child acts shy or resentful around you until it finally comes out that your ex has been saying some pretty awful things about you behind your back. And then one day, you go to your designated location to pick up your child for the weekend only to find no one there. When you text your former spouse to ask what’s going on, you receive a reply telling you that your child doesn’t want to see you. Is this the truth — or is it parental alienation? Read more

Including Personal Provisions in Child Custody & Support Agreements

Don’t want your former spouse smoking around your children when they are in his/her care? Committed to homeschooling? Raising your children on a vegetarian diet?

If you are considering mediation as a way to reach a resolution in your child custody or child support matter, whether it is part of your divorce settlement, or a separate matter brought up outside of divorce, one of the key benefits of negotiating with your spouse over child custody and child support is mediation’s ability to create a truly custom agreement.

Some of the terms parents have listed as “musts” for custody or support agreements? Here are a few of the many items parents have successfully requested: Read more

NJ Supreme Court Rules In Battle Over Kids’ Last Name Change

If you’re thinking about changing your child’s last name post-divorce, make sure you can give a judge a compelling reason why doing is a benefit to the child. That’s the message in a new New Jersey Surpreme Court ruling in which a Burlington County woman’s name changes for her children were overturned. Read more

Co-Parenting: Six Tips For A Successful School Year

As school districts across New Jersey begin preparations for another school year, what are you doing to prepare for “back to school” as a newly divorced or separated parent? If you’re wondering how to combine co-parenting and school obligations, here are some tips to ease the transition: Read more

Divorce Advice For Parents from Supernanny Jo Frost

After taking a break from her popular TV show, Supernanny‘s Jo Frost is back with all-new advice for parents on TLC.com. Up first? Frost answers a question from a viewer about how to co-parent with her ex-husband. Read more

In the News: Jason Patric, Sperm Donation, and Fathers’ Rights


Actor Jason Patric is embroiled in a complicated child custody battle in his home state of California that brings to light the issue of sperm donation and fathers’ legal rights. Who’s the daddy in a case where a male partner donates sperm to his girlfriend, but declines to have his name put on the birth certificate? Read more

Divorce & Co-Parenting Over Summer Vacation

Are you a co-parent? Then you know very well that the end of the school year and summer vacation are fast approaching with all the activities that entails.

It’s normal to feel a little stressed making the transition from the predictable schedule of the school to summer’s more relaxed pace. For divorced or separated parents, however, there is often added pressure as summer vacation forces parents to be in more frequent contact with one another. Read more

Saving for College: What Happens to a 529 Plan When You Divorce?

Your children may be too young to even know what career they would like to pursue, let alone know which college they want to attend. But if you and your spouse, like so many other parents, set up a designated 529 college savings plan, a tax-advantaged investment account used to help parents squirrel money away funds to cover the eventual cost a child attending college, you may be wondering what’s going to happen to this money now that you are getting a divorce. Your family’s situation is unique, of course, but here are a few common possibilities for dealing with a 529 plan during a divorce. Read more

Mother’s Day for Single Moms


It’s not Thanksgiving or Christmas, but Mother’s Day still can carry with it much of the same kind of emotional baggage that holidays and other family celebrations do when you are separated or newly divorced. Is this your first Mother’s Day since your split? Things may be very different this year, but one thing is the same: You are still a mom and you still deserve a special day.

How can you celebrate your new status as a single mom? Here are some ideas for how to create a day filled with joy. On the other hand, are you a dad wondering how to help your kids honor their mother, even if she is no longer your wife? We’ve got tips on how to make that happen, too. Read more