The Truth about Children and Divorce: Dealing with the Emotions So You and Your Children Can Thrive

by Robert E. Emery

Book Overview

Nationally recognized expert Robert Emery applies his twenty-five years of experience as a researcher, therapist, and mediator to offer parents a new road map to divorce. Dr. Emery shows how our powerful emotions and the way we handle them shape how we divorce--and whether our children suffer or thrive in the long run. His message is hopeful, yet realistic--divorce is invariably painful, but parents can help promote their children's resilience. With...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452287162
• ISBN13: 9780452287167
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Wish I Had Bought Two

If you are contemplating a divorce or in divorce proceedings or even divorced and if you care for your children, read this book. Not only did Dr. Emery open my eyes to what my children have esperienced and will experince from divorce but also what both their parents are experiencing. Dr. Emery's insights are both personal and clinical and his guidance always puts the children first. This book is written in a very clear and straight forward style. You won't get lost in complicated psycological explanations or depressed from a gloomy outlook for your children like many of the other books on this subject. Buy two! One for each parent.

I am a divorce lawyer and I buy this to give to my clients

I heard of Dr. Emery from several child development specialists I met at a seminar. They consider him to be the current expert. I bought several volumes (at full price) to give to my clients who were contemplating divorce and wanted to know what was best for their children. My clients have raved about the book. They quote it to me, highlight sections and bring in the book with lots of bookmarks. The advice is practical and helps the clients focus on the important issues. I work with people on cooperative divorce (see divorcewithoutwar.info) and this information helps me accomplish our goal of working for the best interests of the children and keeping the divorce process civil. I recomend this book to any one with children who is contemplating a divorce. It will really help them make good decisions and hopefully make the entire process less stressful.

Highest Recomendation

As a clinical psychologist, I am grateful to have this book to recommend to my patients who are in or contemplating a divorce. In "The Truth about Children and Divorce", Dr. Emery provides parents with an overview of the divorce research that is neither fatalistic or sugar coated. From his years of clinical practice, he offers detailed and specific "scripts" of what to say to tell the children at different ages and in different situations (such as when there is an affair), thoughts on different custody schedules and advice about establishing a co-parenting relationship. Most importantly, Dr. Emery writes in the compassionate and personal voice of someone who has coached many a parent through the difficult road of separating their pain from their parenting, and who has traveled this difficult road himself. If you only recommend one book, this should be it.

A Must Read for Divorced Parents

As a divorce (aka) matrimonial lawyer, I review books involving the effects of divorce on children because it is important to my practice and clients. This is perhaps one of the best books on the subject. Many books on divorce are pessimistic in terms of their overall approach and focus. Dr. Emery is one of the few individuals who basis his writings, etc., on controlled studies as to the effect of divorce upon children (instead of the norm of opinions based upon anecdotes). On my own web site I have recommended this book.

Positive Direction for Families in a Divorce

This book is a wonderful resource,written with warmth and wisdom. I was both touched and enlightened by Dr.Emery's accounts. The author brings home highly useful and important concepts with an easy and enjoyable style. For myself and many of my divorced friends,parenting through divorce has presented sometimes painful challenges with little guidance available. This book offers the kind of thinking, insight, tools and reaching out that families and parents need in a difficult time. The author emphasizes putting children first, but even more, based on many years of experience and insight, actually describes for parents how to do it. It is a compelling and heartening read.