Parenting at a Distance
Interesting ways to stay in touch and keep the lines of communication open.
This book is designed to serve divorced parents regardless of parental status including non-custodial, nonresidential, long-distance, joint custody, shared, equal or co-parents and never married parents. The book is to assist parents in their healing and rebuilding process by offering ideas, information, and help to parent your children. We believe we can work together to create strong, healthy and meaningful relationships with our children post divorce.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. For, indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
-- Margaret Mead
Dear Parents,
Working for change is something we are all engaged in at every moment of our lives. Are we changing for the good? In January many people set new goals - resolutions for the New Year - on how they want to change an aspect or aspects of their lives. Some want to lose weight; others want to strengthen their financial situations. Anyone who has set a goal for change and accomplished that goal knows that it takes determination, consistent effort and time. The amount of time and effort involved is in direct relationship to the size of the task undertaken.
Change starts within. We think of something we want to be better, then we think of ways to make that betterment happen. We outline a plan, set goals and begin working toward the improvement. Seeing initial results helps to promote our intentions, but occasionally we must remain committed without confirmation.
Each of has to change their thinking about long-distance parenting. Long-distance parenting, after all, sounded like an oxymoron. But your desire to be a strong, involved parent, coupled with creativity, can empower you to fulfill your goal of remaining close with your children. Many times you will struggle, still holding onto beliefs that the children were issued a "raw deal," or that things should have been done a different way - your way. These feelings are normal. Managing them is just another (among many!) of the personal matters that you continue to work on.
The goal of this book is to get YOU thinking about YOUR long-distance situation and inspire you to be creative and proactive in parenting your children - parenting regardless of the miles. Our children are counting on us. Let's work together.
