Are you waiting to get divorced until your kids are a little older in the hopes that they’ll handle it better? You may be surprised to hear that kids in early adolescence have MORE of an adjustment to make when parents divorce than at any other age. Whatever your child’s age, parenting through divorce is difficult territory.
Carl Pickhardt PhD is a psychologist in private practice out of Austin, Texas. He has written an impressive 15 books on the subject of parenting as well as columns for the Austin American Statesman, Marriage and Family Living and Psychology Today, just to name a few. Carl has appeared on ABC, NBC, CNN and NPR, and he holds degrees from Harvard and the University of Texas at Austin.
Carl joins Katherine to explain the importance of emotionally reconciling your differences and creating an alliance with your ex-spouse based on common concern for your children. He walks us through the reasons why adolescence is an especially vulnerable age for kids dealing with divorce, offering his advice around keeping the lines of communication open. Listen in for Carl’s insight on providing your kids with clear, consistent messaging as you navigate parenting through divorce.
Topics Covered
The powerful adjustments kids make when their parents divorce
Carl’s take on the first task for divorcing parents
Emotional reconciliation of differences
Recommitment to joint parenting
Creating an alliance founded on common concern for your children
The cost of an unreconciled divorce
Kids caught in loyalty conflicts
Ongoing pain
Why early adolescence is an especially vulnerable age for kids to deal with divorce
How divorce initiates an increased push for independence in adolescents
Why adolescents need an increased number of salient adult relationships
Carl’s guidance for divorcing parents around spending time with your preteen/teen
Stop and listen (accessibility)
Bridge to kid’s emerging interests
Include friends in visitation
How to maintain constant positive choice points with your adolescent
Carl’s insight on providing kids with clear, consistent messaging
Connect with Carl Pickhardt
Carl’s Website: http://carlpickhardt.com/
Surviving Your Child’s Adolescence in Psychology Today: www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childs-adolescence
Resources
The Everything Parent’s Guide to Children and Divorce by Carl Pickhardt: amazon.com/Everything-Parents-Guide-Children-Divorce/dp/1593374186/ref=la_B001IZV7GW_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519439350&sr=1-12
Books by Carl Pickhardt: www.amazon.com/Carl-E.-Pickhardt/e/B001IZV7GW
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
