Mum and Dad are Splitting Up: BBC2 Documentary

Separation or divorce affects millions of people across the globe, including children of all ages.  According to the BBC, one-third of British families are directly affected by divorce.  BBC2 recently premiered a documentary that focuses on several families within this statistic and, more specifically, on how the kids remembered their parents’ split.  In Mum and Dad are Splitting Up, British director Olly Lambert illustrates how children affected by divorce recall their experience of how it happened years after the fact and how their lives have been affected since.
Read more:
Mum and Dad are Splitting Up: BBC2 Documentary - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Avoid Conflict, Keep Positive Through an Amicable Divorce

Divorce is never easy, even for those trying for an amicable split. You're not alone in this process and, with a bit of humor and an eye on the future, you will get through it. The question you may have, however, is "How can I work with my soon-to-be ex-husband to make this transition go as smoothly as possible for both of us?"

Read More:
Avoid Conflict, Keep Positive Through an Amicable Divorce - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Healthy Communication Between Divorced Parents

After divorce, communicating with an ex-spouse can be difficult and unpleasant.  The ways that you used to communicate with each other may no longer be effective now that your relationship situation has changed.  Blowing this issue off right from the beginning is not a healthy route to take, especially when you both are caring for your kids.  Healthy communication between divorced parents is possible, and it starts by finding the right tone and method of delivery, read more:
Healthy Communication Between Divorced Parents - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Back to School: Keeping Both Parents Involved

Your child’s success in school is a primary concern for every parent, and with the start of each school year, new challenges are faced within and outside of the classroom for parents and kids alike.  Through meeting teachers and classmates, adjusting to a new daytime routine, and handling homework every night, kids have a lot on their minds as the summer winds down.  Parents also experience newfound stress during this transitional period, but divorced or separated parents can find this time of year more difficult to tackle.  Much of this anxiety stems from the perception that keeping both parents involved is a non-reality, but taking initiative to plan ahead will help everyone stay in the loop.
Read More:  Back to School: Keeping Both Parents Involved - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Reestablishing a custody connection.

Sometimes after a divorce or separation, parents can become estranged from their children.  In other cases, this relationship was simply unable to flourish because of separation by various reasons such as physical distance.  Regardless of the reason for the break in relationship, a tool like the OurFamilyWizard website can help you reestablish a custody connection.
Read more:  Reestablishing a custody connection. - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Personal Money Manager After Divorce

Money is a common point of contention between couples, but divorced or separated parents often face a greater level of conflict and disagreement when it comes to managing shared expenses.  With kids in the picture, shared family expenses are inevitable, so properly tracking expenses and reimbursements is necessary in order to maintain financial stability between homes.  Using a personal money manager after divorce is a helpful tool to keep co-parents on the same page in terms of joint finances.

Read more:
Personal Money Manager After Divorce

Today's Families are Resilient - not Broken

Families have changed a lot in the past 50 years or so. Today, less than half of American households contain a husband and a wife. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 40% of children in the U.S. have parents who are divorced. This shift in American family life has been widely lamented and criticized. Some have viewed this trend as representative of the “decline” of social morality, and a heralding of the demise of the American family. Although most American families do not meet the criteria of a “traditional” family, made up of a husband and a wife and their biological children, the remaining majority of “non-traditional” families continue to be stigmatized as somehow inferior to traditional families. Unfortunately, terms such as “broken home” imply broken families, broken parents, and broken kids.

Read More:
https://www.ourfamilywizard.com/ofw/index.cfm/blog/todaye28099s-families-are-resilient-not-e2809cbrokene2809d/

Communication Tools for Military Families

Communication Tools for Military Families 
Military families encounter challenges that are unique to other families, from dealing with one parent away due to deployment to re-adapting to home life with a full house.  These - among numerous related and various other reasons - are factors which sometimes lead to the dissolution of marriages within these families.  According to Military.com, rates of divorce in military families raised significantly in recent years, growing from 2.6 percent in 2001 to 3.7 percent in 2011.  These numbers have lowered since 2012, with the rate dropping to 3.5 percent, yet the fact still stands that there are many military families dealing with divorce.  If kids are in the picture, the question of how to effectively manage parenting between two homes becomes a big question for both parents.

How an Amicable Divorce is the First Step to Effective Co-Parenting

I have seen the same thing over and over again. As a divorce and custody attorney I am part of many different types of parenting situations. One particular type of divorce case has a very distinctive flavor. Those are the cases where the parenting’s fight over every inch of parenting rights, fight to the end of the case, and then periodically go back to court for the next decade. These types of cases are not rare, have predictable causes, and are always sad to see.
Read more:
How an Amicable Divorce is the First Step to Effective Co-Parenting 

Co-Parenting on Father's Day

Co-Parenting on Father's Day - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

With school wrapping up and summer already in our grasp, Father’s Day is on the horizon.  To commemorate the day, families taking a little extra time to show Dad how much he is loved and appreciated.  When parents are living in separate homes, trying to coordinate plans for this Father’s Day can be a catalyst for conflict.  Father’s Day is meant to be a time for celebration, so take these tips into consideration as you finalize your plans for this year.

Co-Parenting Tools - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Co-Parenting Tools 
Co-parenting after divorce can be easy if you employ the right co-parenting tools.  For over 12 years, the OurFamilyWizard Website has been helping divorced or separated parents communicate about critical issues regarding their children.  OFW has proven so effective that courts throughout the United States and Canada order it by name.

Mobile Shared Co-Parenting Tools - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Mobile Shared Co-Parenting Tools - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time
Smart phones are surely setting a standard for what consumers expect in their cell phones.  These “mini-computers” make accessing all kinds of information via the Internet fast and easy.  Sometimes, they even replace the need for an actual desktop or laptop computer.  The OurFamilyWizard Website recognizes the popularity of smart phone usage and has created easy-to-use mobile apps that make using this divorced or shared parenting tool easy and available everywhere.

Dispelling Common Divorce Myths - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Dispelling Common Divorce Myths - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time
Divorce is a complicated process, and the rules surrounding it vary from state to state. Because of the complexity of navigating these rules, and the fact that emotions are usually running high during the actual process, quite a few myths have sprung up over the years, and several have become so widespread that they’re commonly understood to be ‘fact.’ These misconceptions range from relatively harmless to incredibly damaging, and understanding the realities surrounding divorce can be the best way to protect yourself.

Tips for Celebrating Mother's Day After Divorce

Mother’s Day is a special time for families to express how much love and appreciation they have for their mothers, but this day can also stir up mixed emotions if a family is dealing with a separation or divorce.   Planning for Mother’s Day after divorce can cause stress or tension between parents and other family members, yet this is a great day to show your kids that even if parents are not together, everyone acknowledges and respects Mom’s role in the family.

Tips for Celebrating Mother's Day After Divorce - OFW - child custody tools, parenting time

"But Dad Said I Could!" Parenting Tips for Divorced Parents

"But Dad Said I Could!" Parenting Tips for Divorced Parents - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time
Parenting across two households can be a real challenge. Working through the pain of ending a committed relationship into a working relationship that benefits our kids is hard work for divorced parents. Among the biggest challenges to navigate are differences in parenting styles, and in particular, your approach to discipline.

Determining Child Custody for Never Married Parents - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Not all co-parents have to be divorced to share custody and other parenting responsibilities.  Never married parents face similar issues to parents who are going through a divorce, yet some challenges are more complex in a never married parenting situation, such as determining child custody.  Here are some important points that never married parents must consider:
Determining Child Custody for Never Married Parents - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Tips for keeping your kids on time - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Tips for keeping your kids on time - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time
For kids, most of the way their time is spent is predetermined.  From the beginning to end of their day, parents are typically the most important facilitators of time management for their young child.  Parents will help wake them up on time, get them to the bus stop, remind them to finish all of their homework, put them to bed, and then the cycle continues the following day.   The ability to manage our time is not a skill we are born with, but it is something that is instilled within us as we grow up.  Keeping your kids on time by creating a routine, having them talk out their plans, and teaching them how to tell time and use a calendar are three steps parents may take over time to illustrate the importance of time management as they grow up.

Co-parenting tools for separated parents: OurFamilyWizard Message Board - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

In the digital age, methods of communication have evolved to fit the needs of our technological world.   Emails and text messages are two particular innovations that make it easier for divorced or separated parents to communicate important family details between homes.  While convenient, emails can be lost in cyberspace, and texts can be deleted or sent to a wrong number.  In a contentious situation with a co-parent, keeping a full and accurate record of communication can be very important.  To prevent these issues, the OurFamilyWizard Message Board is a useful tool to aid in communication when accuracy is imperative for divorced or separated parents.

Creating a winning co-parenting plan

At the start, divorce feels like a win/lose situation.  One parent may seem to have it all on paper, while the other struggles to make ends meet.  On the flip side, the parent who seemingly has it all finds that they have little time to spend with their kids, while the other parent is with them all the time.  Whether or not this example speaks to your situation, finding a balance between family life, your emotions and everything else is essential to every family when creating a winning co-parent plan.

Creating a winning co-parenting plan - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

The OurFamilyWizard App for KindleFire®

The OFW app gives you the ability to access all of your child custody calendars, visitation schedules, events, messaging and more from your Kindle Fire®.

The OurFamilyWizard App for KindleFire® - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

The OurFamilyWizard App for Blackberry®

The OFW app gives you the ability to access all of your child custody calendars, visitation schedules, events, messaging and more from your Blackberry®.



The OurFamilyWizard App for Blackberry® - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Co-parenting tools for separated parents

Separated parenting situations are not easy to manage.  Many scheduling details end up getting lost in the shuffle when kids are moving between homes, making organization a key piece to managing your family’s schedule successfully.    The OurFamilyWizard Website offers a simple solution to this all-too-common issue: a shared family calendar to make it simple for parents to stay on track with their family’s hectic schedule.

ToneMeter

ToneMeter - Our Family Wizard - Think of ToneMeter as your emotional spell-check. ToneMeter can identify and flag emotionally charged sentences within your OurFamilyWizard message. As intuitive as grammar or spell-check, ToneMeter goes beyond sentiment to gauge words and phrases against 8 levels of connotative feeling, allowing the end user to make real-time corrections and adjust the overall tone of messages using an easy-to-use menu system.

Creating a winning co-parenting plan

Creating a winning co-parenting plan - At the start, divorce feels like a win/lose situation.  One parent may seem to have it all on paper, while the other struggles to make ends meet.  On the flip side, the parent who seemingly has it all finds that they have little time to spend with their kids, while the other parent is with them all the time.  Whether or not this example speaks to your situation, finding a balance between family life, your emotions and everything else is essential to every family when creating a winning co-parent plan

Communication breakdowns post divorce

Communication breakdowns post divorce - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time

Keeping two happy homes

Keeping two happy homes with the Our Family Wizard website for managing child custody schedules, parenting time, shared expenses, family info and more

Is it my turn or your turn?

Is it my turn or your turn? - Our Family Wizard - co-parenting tools to help with managing child custody, parenting time, shared expenses and more

Tips for keeping your kids on time

Tips for keeping your kids on time - Our Family Wizard - co-parenting tools, child custody schedules, parenting time and more

Planning for spring break

Planning for spring break - Our Family Wizard - child custody, parenting time