This
"survival kit" contains books, a calendar with stickers,
and a divorce communication tool--all designed to help make the
difficulties that often accompany a divorce a little easier to
handle.
This kit contains:
- A book for parents entitled Speaking of Divorce: How to
Talk with Your Kids and Help Them Cope
- A book for children of divorce called What in the World
Do You Do When Your Parents Divorce?: A Survival Guide for
Kids
- A divorce communication tool, The Mom & Dad Pad
- A calendar for kids to construct, called the Keep Track
Calendar for Kids, along with Keep Track Stickers
to be used in the calendar.
Speaking of Divorce is designed for parents of children
approximately ages 7-12 who are about to, or in the midst of,
divorce. It is filled with practical advice on how to handle
divorce in a gentle manner, reminding parents always of the
benefits of civility and cooperation. It focuses on children's
needs for stability and love, support, and permission to love both
parents, amongst other things. A nice feature of the book is
sections that provide parents with "words you might use"
to answer common questions, address issues kids might be wondering
about silently, and to ask children questions in order to open up
communication. The book addresses possible scenarios, such as a
setup in which one parent has abandoned the family, a new adult
coming into the mix, a long-distance move, and more. Speaking of
Divorce is direct and optimistic in tone, reminding parents that
handling a divorce in a gentle and open manner will make all of
the difference.
What
in the World Do You Do When Your Parents Divorce? is intended
for children whose parents have broken up. Answers to common
questions and concerns, as well as frank but gentle advice, are
included in this thoughtful book. Quotes from kids in similar
situations are added throughout. Issues like dealing with anger,
managing living in two homes, missing (or not missing!) parents,
the role of grandparents, dealing with parents who are keeping
secrets from each other, parents dating, stepparents, and more,
are addressed. It's informative and easy to read for children
approximately 9 and up. This book is especially helpful to have on
hand for kids who tend to keep things to themselves.
The Mom & Dad Pad is a pad containing forms for
parents to use to communicate with each other about the kids, and
even includes envelopes to be used for delivering the pages. There
are 25 forms altogether, each with carbonless copies, and they
contain sections for notes about practical issues like scheduling,
school and medical reminders, and transportation. Space for
communications about the children's social and emotional life is
also included. These forms may not apply to all divorce scenarios,
but they do serve as a gentle reminder that communication about
the kids should be direct and positive, and that this
communication is probably best done in this less personal way
rather than on the phone or in person.
The
Keep Track Calendar for Kids is a fun make-yourself
calendar that includes stickers to mark special days. The stickers include traditional
ones designed for marking days on the calendar when there are
holidays, birthdays, or special activities. What makes the set of
400 stickers different is that they are uniquely designed for
children whose parents are divorced and have time-sharing
arrangements. These read either "Mom" or
"Dad", or mark transition days from Mom to Dad, and from
Dad to Mom.
This calendar/sticker set was especially helpful for a
6-year-old tester who was having trouble understanding the
time-sharing arrangement made between her parents. Although
parents can simply mark a calendar in pen, this tester enjoyed
placing the stickers on the calendar herself, and proudly
declared, "these stickers are perfect for OUR family!"
By Roberta Byer and Kent Winchester.