10 Tips For Successful Divorced Parenting

Tip 6. Don't try to damage the relationship between your children and your former spouse. Whatever feeling you may have following your divorce don't voice this in front of your children by putting your former spouse down. It is important for your children to have a loving relationship with both parents and you should not attempt to undermine this in any way.

Tip 7. Don't turn to your children for support. Having lost the support of your marital partner you may well find yourself turning to your children to fill the gap. Remember that your children have enough to handle without also taking on your problems and, if you find yourself in need of support, you should look elsewhere.

Tip 8. Establish a routine for parental visitation. Your children need frequent and reasonable visits with their absent parent and, as far as possible, you should try to set and maintain a schedule of visits. It can be extremely disruptive to the children if regular visits are frequently cancelled or they find themselves facing lengthy gaps between visits.

Tip 9. Agree a common policy towards discipline. You should reach an agreement with your former spouse on just what is and is not acceptable behavior as also agree a common policy with regard to discipline. This will avoid the children feeling that they are being unfairly treated and also stop them from trying to play one parent off against the other.

Tip 10. Don't be afraid to seek professional assistance. If you encounter problems which you simply can't resolve then don't be afraid to ask for professional help. It's much better to ask for help than to soldier on in the hope of solving the problem only to find that irreparable damage has been done and you are forced to seek help.

Facebook use in pre-teens 'bad parenting' says cyber-safety expert - ABC Online
17 May 2012 at 2:43am

Facebook use in pre-teens 'bad parenting' says cyber-safety expert
ABC Online
Download this mp3 file A former Victoria Police officer turned cyber-safety consultant says parents who let their children go on facebook before they are teenagers 'are no...

Texting-while-driving: Teens do because we do - Washington Post (blog)
15 May 2012 at 11:42am

Texting-while-driving: Teens do because we do
Washington Post (blog)
Many teenagers act the same way now. Except today they have so many more pressing distractions when they're behind the wheel. And, they have some pretty terrible role models, as pa...

The Secret Online Lives of Tweens: What Parents Can Do - Mobiledia
16 May 2012 at 11:54am

Mobiledia
The Secret Online Lives of Tweens: What Parents Can Do
Mobiledia
By Margaret Rock Teens and tweens are creating online profiles and increasingly living through the Internet, offering challenges to parents who must grasp the new realities an...

Deborah Ross: Are you a teen having trouble with your parents? I can help - T...
16 May 2012 at 2:12pm

Deborah Ross: Are you a teen having trouble with your parents? I can help
The Independent
Consequently, I have decided to introduce a similar voucher scheme for children, particularly teenagers, to spend on classes which will help them deal with the...