BOOKS FOR PARENTS

At last! We've been published! Don't miss Mary Ellen Hannibal's book based on the Kids' Turn program:
Click here to go to the book: Good Parenting Through Divorce

And don't forget that when you buy books through our website, a portion of the proceeds is donated to Kids' Turn.

Ahrons, Constance R., The Good Divorce: Keeping Your Family
Together When Your Marriage Comes Apart. HarperCollins, 1994.
Based on sound research on divorcing families; helps normalize the process of divorce.

Baris, Mitchell and Carla Garrity, Children of Divorce: A
Developmental Approach to Residence and Visitation. Psytec Corporation, 1988.
An excellent resource for making decisions about custody arrangements.  Has good answers to tough but frequently asked questions about visitation and parenting.

------, Caught in the Middle: Protecting the Children of High
Conflict Divorce. Lexington Books, 1994.

Berman, Claire, Making it as a Stepparent, New Roles/New Roles. Harper Collins 1986.

Blau, Melinda, Families Apart: Ten Keys to Successful Co-Parenting.  Perige, 1995.
Co-parenting requires discipline, skill and hard work.  This book focuses on the relationship and how crucial it is for the well being of the kids.

Bodenhamer, Gregory, Back in Control. Prentice Hall, 1983.
This book was designed for parents who feel out of control with their kids. It teaches how to take back the control by using parental authority.

Burt, Mala, Stepfamilies Stepping Ahead.  Stepfamilies Press, 1989.
The book is a progressive step-by-step guide which begins by defining a stepfamily, then moves on to clarify common but inaccurate beliefs about stepfamilies.  It closes with the Stepping Ahead Program for successful stepfamily living.

Clapp, Genevieve, Ph.D., Divorce and New Beginnings: A Complete Guide to Recovery, Solo Parenting, Co-Parenting, and Stepfamlies. John Wiley & Sons; ISBN 2000. This is a comprehensive book dealing with issues ranging from the early stages of parental separation through co-parenting and stepfamilies. It offers helpful strategies on improving communications with your children and their other parent, as well as self-help techniques for fighting the depression and anxiety that can lead parents into conflict.

Cohen, Joan Schrager, Helping Your Grandchildren Through Their Parents' Divorce.  Walker & Co., 1994
Real life stories are used to illustrate specific ways grandparents can offer support, talk to grandchildren about the divorce and guidelines for maintaining family traditions.   This informative book offers practical assistance, information and resources.

Dinkmeyer and McKay, Parenting Teenagers: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting of Teens. American Guidance Service, 1989.
A guidebook for improving parent-teen relationships structured like a classroom textbook with summaries and tests at the end of each chapter.

Dinkmeyer and McKay, The Parents' Handbook: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting.   Random House, 1997.
This handbook offers a tremendous range of techniques to help parents with the everyday challenges of raising children. It follows the same format as the book described above.

Dinkmeyer and McKay, Parenting Young Children: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting . Random House, 1997.

A how-to guide for parents dealing with family transitions.  Discipline, communication, love and peace among family members are all addressed.

Einstein, Elizabeth & Linda Albert, Stepfamily Living Series.  Elizabeth Einstein, 1997.

This series includes Preparing for Remarriage, Pitfalls and possibilities, dealing with Discipline and Enrichment and encouragement.  Each shot book addresses a different aspect of preparing adults and their children for stepfamily life.

Faber A., and E. Mazlish, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk. Avon, 1980.
A basic yet effective step-by-step book which teaches parents how to communicate with kids. Cartoons and practice exercises help make this book fun, interactive, and easy to get through.

Fagerstrom, Karen, Ph.D., Divorce: A Problem to be Solved, Not a Battle to be Fought,  Brookwood Publishing, 1997.

Gardner, Richard A., M.D., The Parents' Book About Divorce. Doubleday, 1977.
This book provides extensive coverage of the many problems that parents must attend to when dealing with children's reactions to separation and divorce. It gives detailed descriptions of how problems may come about, and offers ways to prevent them.

Ginott, Hiam, Between Parent and Child. Avon, 1961.
This practical guide for talking to and dealing with your children is  clearly written, gives specific advice, and offers basic principles for raising children.

Gold, Lois, Between Love and Hate: A Guide to Civilized Divorce.  Plenum Press, 1992.

Hannibal, Mary Ellen, Good Parenting Through Your Divorce, Marlowe and Company, 2002

Book Description
Divorce is a way of life in America today, with over one million couples dissolving their unions each year. And millions of children are profoundly affected by their parents’ divorce. Negative consequences of divorce for children include lowered self-esteem, poor academic and professional performance, and difficulty in forming healthy relationships of their own. Yet this need not be the case.

For nearly fifteen years, the Kids’ Turn workshop program has been helping parents and children identify and cope with the issues that arise out of separation and divorce. Research shows that Kids’ Turn works by giving children tools to confront the pain of divorce and move on, and by sensitizing caregivers to what their children are going through. Now, for the first time, the Kids’ Turn wisdom has been distilled for individual readers. Author Mary Ellen Hannibal presents step-by-step the key topics that concern all parents and their children throughout the divorce and beyond, including:

• How to recognize, cultivate, and respond to your child’s feelings • How divorce affects your child’s development and how to support your child’s healthy growth over time • How to connect with your children through better communication and how to manage communication with your co-parent • How to support your child’s expressive self • The challenge of behavior and discipline • The dos and don’ts of shared parenting

Good Parenting Through Your Divorce includes stories of real children, parents and families in their everyday settings. It is intended for every divorced parent, those who are separated but not divorced, same sex parents, never-married parents, single parents--in short, for every kind of changing, blended family in our country today.

This book offers mentoring to people who need to get divorced but want to do it in a dignified manner that won't cause trauma to their children. 

Kalter, Neil, Growing Up With Divorce: Helping Your Child Avoid Immediate and Later Emotional Problems.  Fawcett Books, 1991.

Krantzler, Mel, Creative Divorce. New American Library, 1975.
The first author of this book has led divorce seminars and dealt with divorce himself.  He talks about coping with the trauma of divorce and the different phases one goes through in the process. He gives "life after divorce" an optimistic look by framing it as a renewal of life as a single person.

Martin, April, Ph.D., The Lesbian & Gay Parenting Handbook: Creating and Raising Our Families. Harper Perennial, 1993. 

Nelsen, Jane, and C. Delzer, Positive Discipline for Single Parents: A Practical Guide for Raising Children Who Are Responsible, Respectful, and Resourceful.   Prima Publishing, 1993.

Nelsen, Jane, and H.S. Glenn, Positive Discipline for Blended Families: Nurturing Harmony, Respect and Unity in Your New Stepfamily. Prima Publishing, 1997.

Neuman, M. Gary, Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way.   Times Books, 1998.

Ricci, Isolina, Ph.D., Moms' House, Dad's House. Macmillan, 1980.
In this  guide, divorced parents learn how to establish two homes for their children. The book takes into account every possible variation of custody and living arrangements.  It has helpful sections on emotionally surviving the divorce, minimizing conflict, parenting plans, long-distance parenting, and the return of an absent parent.  

Riera, Michael, Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers.  Celestial Arts, 1995.

An excellent parenting book.  Includes sections on divorce, remarriage, and single parenting.

Ross, J., and J. Corcoran, Joint Custody with a Jerk.  St. Martin's Press, 1996.

Samalin, Nancy, Loving Your Child is Not Enough. Viking, 1987.
Samalin is a mother and counselor who draws on her own experiences to teach other parents alternatives to yelling, threatening and criticizing their children. She provides numerous examples of caring, effective ways to discipline and communicate with children.

Sommers-Flannigan, Rita, Chelsea Elander and John Sommers-Flannigan, Don't Divorce Us! Kids' Advice to Divorcing Parents.  American Counseling Association, 1999.

Uses children's voices to guide parents in behaving in ways that foster their children's well-being.  Has excellent concrete suggestions for preparing for divorce, surviving divorce and starting stepfamilies.

Smith, Gayle Rosenwald, J.D. and Sally Abrahms, What Every Woman Should Know About Divorce and Custody. Berkeley Publishing Group, 1998.

An insider's guide filled with advice from judges, lawyers, therapists, and mothers who have gone through the process.  Good sections on domestic violence and never-married parents.  Good guidance to women and men.

Stahl, Philip, Parenting After Divorce: A Guide to Resolving Conflicts and Meeting Your Children's needs.  Impact Publishers, 2000.

The author is a psychologist specializing in high conflict divorces.  The child-focused book offers parents a variety of tips to understand their children and to develop healthy parenting plans while minimizing conflicts with the other parent. It focuses carefully on the varying needs of children of different ages.

Talia, M. Sue, How to Avoid the Divorce from Hell (and Dance Together at Your Daughter's Wedding).  Nexus Publishing Company, 1996.

This upbeat guide to the legal process of divorce has helpful sections on when and how to choose a lawyer or therapist.

Thayer, E, and J. Zimmerman, The Co-Parenting Survival Guide: Letting Go of the Conflict After the Divorce.  New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, 2001

This realistic book walks parents through the necessary emotional and logical steps to set aside their conflict and start over.  It then provides clear guidance on developing low-conflict communication, creating a "business relationship" with a partner who has betrayed you repeatedly, and making transitions better for children.

Thomas, Shirley, Parents are Forever: A Step-By-Step Guide to Becoming Successful Co-Parents After Divorce.  Springboard Publications, 1995.

Vishner, Emily & John: How to Win As a Stepfamily.  Brunner/Mazel, 1991.

A practical guide for stepparents. Authors are co-founders of the Stepfamily Association of America; they lecture and write frequently about remarriage.

Wallerstein, Judith, and Sandra Blakeslee, Second Chances: Men, Women and
Children A Decade After Divorce. NY: Tickner & Fields, 1989.

Wallerstein, Judith, and J. Kelley, Surviving the Breakup, How Children and Parents Cope with Divorce. Basic Books, 1980.

Wallerstein, Judith, and Sandra Blakeslee, The Good Marriage.  Houghton Mifflin, 1995.

Wolfe, Anthony E., Ph.D., "Why Did You Have to Get a Divorce?  And When Can I Get a Hamster?"  The Noonday Press, 1998.

Excellent advice for all kinds of divorce-related situations, from telling the kids to kids refusing visits, to single and step-parenting.  Full of real-life dialogue.

Wymard, Ellis, Men on Divorce: Conversations with Ex-Husbands.  Hay House, 1994.

BOOKS FOR KIDS