Let’s address what happens when the ones campaigning for attention of a certain parent are a child–and the new spouse. Look, let’s face it. Your child has very little cause to be invested in your new marriage. Either he’d like… Continue Reading
Did you ever get the feeling you might have missed something? (In point of fact, I had that feeling all through organic chemistry, and, since I never really could figure out what I missed–but knew for certain I hadn’t gotten… Continue Reading
There’s nothing I find more satisfying than believing in something–and then knowing that the research backs me up. When it happens the other way it’s a total bummer. But I happen to be in luck on the topic of mediation,… Continue Reading
So let’s say you’re in a “what’s in it for me?” stance when the option of mediation is broached. It’s reasonable–you’ve been through a terrible time in your marriage, and you don’t want to get taken for a ride. You’re… Continue Reading
Julie* came from a wealthy family–grew up with that proverbial silver spoon practically shoved down her throat. Were her parents thrilled when she met Jim,* who was in and out of jobs and who had never owned or rented his… Continue Reading
To start your proactive work on preventing rivalry for a parent’s attention between siblings or between children and a new spouse, I recommend that you as the parent and step-parent consciously partition your home time into four parts: time with… Continue Reading
Franklin D. Roosevelt said, in that wonderful bass voice of his: “Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.” Let’s see where that takes us. Picture this: Mom restricts TV-watching for her children to Sponge Bob alone (poor dears), and her… Continue Reading
Pretend, for a moment, that you are a celebrity, with name well-recognized across the world. Got that? Ok, now pretend (and this may be harder for some of us working stiffs) that your net worth is in the high-hundred millions (is anyone… Continue Reading
According to Virginia Woolf, for a woman to succeed in her ambition to write fiction, she “must have money and a room of her own.” Granted your little one may not be attempting to compose the Great American [or in… Continue Reading
Layla* was a shy, reserved, nine-year-old “daddy’s girl” who had done poorly since her parents had divorced and she had lost the full-time emotional support of and connection to her father, Luke.* Lisa* was divorced from an emotionally abusive man. After… Continue Reading
So by now you know to pick small battles and win them, to stay away from heated arguments, to plan for change-back moves, and to share your suffering with somebody close to you. What else can you do to crawl… Continue Reading
There’s nothing wrong with the size of the field. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that nearly one in four adults in America suffers from a diagnosable mental order in any given year. And there’s not been much to… Continue Reading
