Ex-etiquette for Parents: Good Behavior After a Divorce Or Separation

Rating:
Summary: Impressive !
Review: I am a clinical social worker, in practice for over thirty five years now. I recently saw Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe, authors of Ex-Etiquette for Parents: Good Behavior After a Divorce or Separation, interviewed on Good Morning America, and decided to take a look at their book. It's impressive. Most of my practice is devoted to marriage counseling and working with divorced families. I wish I had a copy of this book to hand out to every divorcing couple with children. The book is clear, concise, easily understood. More importantly, it espouses all the values and teaches all the skills I hope my clients walk out of my office with. It will certainly be a "must read" recommendation. It's a long overdue, and very inspiring work!

Rating:
Summary: Wish I had this book earlier!
Review: I received my Ex etiquette book 3 days ago and have devoured every piece of helpful information! Never thought I would be underlining and highlighting so many things that spoke loud and clear to me. Yes..I even saw some of the mistakes I have made when it came to my ex and his wife. What consistantly stood out for me was keeping the thought of, "what is best for the kids?", not necessarily what makes me feel the best or most comfortable. My current husband of 13 years along with my ex and his wife have not been able to come together on any issue when it comes to our now grown children. We never had the tools to do the work, but now we do! I purchased a book for myself and sent one to them in hopes that we all can read it and come together in a healthy way for the good of our children. It's never too late to mend relationships and make them better and more functional. I have learned that may I need to make the first move and put myself in their shoes. Thanks Jann and Sharyl for letting us peek into the world of your families and for paving the way! I am excited to see what is in store for us as 2 families with the greatest thing in common...our children!

Rating:
Summary: Future Step-Moms, Please Read!!
Review: I'm getting married in a few weeks to a man with a seven-year-old son. I have been devouring every book and piece of information I could get my hands on to help prepare me for our step-family. This book was amazing!

It is thoughtful and thought-provoking--I couldn't put it down. My eyes have been opened to different points of view which has helped my relationship with my fiance and his son tremendously.

I would recommend this book for anyone about to enter into the unchartered territory of blending a family. You will feel so much more confident and "safe."

Rating:
Summary: If you love your kids, get this book!
Review: My ex and I have been trying to coparent our kids with very little luck. We couldn't talk to each other and the kids definitely felt the stress. My ex knows I never read, but she gave me this book after seeing the authors on Good Morning America. I thumbed through just out of curiosity. I can't believe I'm writing this. IT REALLY HELPED! Both my ex and I saw things we both did to break down communication and learned ways to change things so that the kids wouldn't suffer anymore. It's very easy to understand and is written in a style that kept my interest. I never thought I would be thanking my ex for anything, but I thank her for giving me this book. It made us see what is really important--the kids.

Rating:
Summary: Mind-Bending, Inspiring and Packed With Information
Review: This book, written by a second wife and her husband's ex, is a very comprehensive guide to how parents should behave after a divorce or separation. It covers a broad range of topics, including how to get along with your spouse's ex, how to ease kids' transition from Mom's house to Dad's house, and much more. The authors offer divorced parents tips about how to prepare themselves emotionally to be the best parents they can be. Blackstone-Ford and Jupe suggest parents let go of anger and resentment, embrace forgiveness, identify negative expectations and acknowledge mutual interests-all with a goal of putting their children and stepchildren first.

The authors also promise parents that bad relationships with ex-spouses will change, if only parents are willing to take some emotional risks with their ex-spouses and their ex-spouses' new partners. They offer their own inspiring story as an example.

As a member of a family with "his, hers and ours" kids, I found some of the well-meaning stepparenting tips to be a bit simplistic, but that's a minor criticism, given this book's potential to change the way divorced parents interact with one another. I hope divorced parents everywhere read this book with open minds and hearts, and embrace its message. Their children and stepchildren will likely benefit in a big way.