|
Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsClimate Change Is Spurring Malnutrition in Kids WorldwideNew Year, New Tips for Keeping Your Kids Safe and HealthyAHA News: Pandemic Pods Offer Social Relief, But There Are RisksPediatricians' Group Says School Is Priority, With Proper Safety MeasuresKids With Congenital Heart Disease Face Higher Odds of Mental Health IssuesReady to Resume Sports? Health Tips for Getting Back in the GameMasks Don't Mask Others' Emotions for KidsCould Going Vegetarian Lower Kids' Asthma Risk?Parents Feel the Strain as Pandemic Adds New Role: TeacherInvolved Dads Make a Difference for Disadvantaged TeensPoll Charts U.S. Parents' Biggest Worries During PandemicDo Genes Doom Some Kids to Obesity? Probably Not, Study FindsSchools, Day Care Not a Big Factor in Kids Getting COVID: StudyType 2 Diabetes in Youth Is Especially Unhealthy: StudyWhen Sepsis Strikes Children, Black Kids More Likely to Die: StudyNew Clues to Crohn's Disease in KidsKids With Dyslexia May Have Hidden StrengthsKids' Weight Rises When Convenience Stores Open Nearby: StudyA Better, Safer Way to Rid Some Kids of Seizures?More Clues to Why Kids Have Much Milder COVID-19Pandemic Causing Dangerous Delays in Care When Appendicitis Strikes KidsHow to Keep Kids Resilient in a Strange Holiday SeasonLockdowns May Be Keeping Kids' Asthma Attacks at Bay: StudyYoung Epilepsy Patients May Benefit From Mental Health ScreeningSudden Death More Common Than Thought in Very Young With EpilepsyCOVID in Kids: The Most Telling SymptomsPreemie Babies End Up Hospitalized More as KidsCommon Weight-Loss Surgery Can Weaken a Teen's BonesAnother Study Finds COVID Usually Mild in KidsParents' Age Key to Whether Kids Get Vaccinated Against COVID, Study FindsDoes Parents' Nagging Kids About Screen Time Even Matter?Which Kids With COVID Will Get Very Sick?Add Kids to COVID Vaccine Trials, Pediatricians' Group SaysToo Many Kids Still Get Antipsychotics They Don't NeedIs the Pandemic Harming Kids' Mental Health?Eczema More Common Among Black, Hispanic KidsTelemedicine Is Keeping Kids' Asthma Care on Track: StudyKids With Food Allergies Can Become Targets for BulliesHelp Young Athletes Keep Their Competitive Edge During PandemicAlmost 1 in 5 Parents Are 'Vaccine Hesitant,' Study FindsFor Rural Youth, Mental Health Care Can Be Tough to FindAre Healthy Kids Getting Too Many Heart Tests?Big Spike Seen in COVID Cases Among KidsAsymptomatic Kids With COVID-19 May Also Carry Less VirusLockdowns Can Widen Kids' Waistlines – Here's How to Curb ThatSocial Media 'Kid Influencers' Are Promoting Junk FoodsPoverty Might Raise Black Kids' Health Risks as Early as Age 5Losing Some TV Ads Might Reduce Childhood ObesityIt's Tough to Change the Minds of 'Vaccine-Hesitant' Parents, Study FindsStudy Probes Links in Asthma, Food Sensitivity and Irritable Bowel Syndrome LinksBook Reviews100 Things Guys Need to Know3 NBS of Julian DrewA Guide to Asperger SyndromeA Tribe ApartA User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HDA Walk in the Rain With a BrainAdolescence and Body ImageAdolescent DepressionAfterAggression and Antisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsAll Alone in the UniverseAmelia RulesAmericaAnother PlanetAntisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsArtemis FowlAssessment and Treatment of Childhood Problems, Second EditionAutistic Spectrum DisordersBad GirlBetween Two WorldsBeyond AppearanceBeyond Diversity DayBig Mouth & Ugly GirlBill HensonBipolar DisordersBody Image, Eating Disorders, and ObesityBody Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in YouthBoyBoysBrandedBreaking PointBreathing UnderwaterBringing Up ParentsBullying and TeasingCan't Eat, Won't EatCatalystChild and Adolescent Psychological DisordersChildren Changed by TraumaChildren with Emerald EyesChildren’s Dreaming and the Development of Consciousness City of OneConcise Guide to Child and Adolescent PsychiatryConquering the Beast WithinContentious IssuesCrackedCutDancing in My NuddypantsDemystifying the Autistic ExperienceDescartes' BabyDilemmas of DesireDirtyDoing ItDoing SchoolDying to Be ThinEating an ArtichokeEducating Children With AutismElijah's CupEllison the ElephantEmerald City BluesEmotional and Behavioral Problems of Young ChildrenEvery Girl Tells a StoryFast GirlsFeather BoyFiregirlForever YoungFreaks, Geeks and Asperger SyndromeFreewillGeography ClubGeorgia Under WaterGirl in the MirrorGirlfightingGirlsourceGirlWiseGLBTQGood GirlsGoodbye RuneGranny Torrelli Makes SoupGrowing Up GirlHandbook for BoysHealing ADDHeartbeatHelping Children Cope With Disasters and TerrorismHelping Parents, Youth, and Teachers Understand Medications for Behavioral and Emotional ProblemsHollow KidsHow Children Learn the Meanings of WordsHow to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can'tHug MeIntrusive ParentingIt's Me!It's Perfectly NormalJake RileyJoey Pigza Swallowed the KeyJuvenile-Onset SchizophreniaKeeping the MoonKilling MonstersKim: Empty InsideKnocked Out by My Nunga-NungasLaura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide to Living with Your MonsterLearning About School ViolenceLeo the Lightning BugLet Kids Be KidsLiberation's ChildrenLife As We Know ItLisa, Bright and DarkLittle ChicagoLord of the FliesLoserLove and SexLove That DogManicMastering Anger and AggressionMind FieldsMiss American PieMom, Dad, I'm Gay.MonsterMore Than a LabelMyths of ChildhoodNew Hope for Children and Teens with Bipolar DisorderNo Two AlikeNot Much Just Chillin'Odd Girl OutOdd Girl Speaks OutOn the Frontier of AdulthoodOne Hot SecondOne in ThirteenOphelia SpeaksOphelia's MomOur Journey Through High Functioning Autism and Asperger SyndromeOut of the DustOvercoming School AnxietyParenting and the Child's WorldParenting Your Out-Of-Control TeenagerPediatric PsychopharmacologyPeriod PiecesPhobic and Anxiety Disorders in Children and AdolescentsPINSPraising Boys WellPraising Girls WellPretty in PunkPrincess in the SpotlightProblem Child or Quirky Kid?Psychotherapy As PraxisPsychotherapy for Children and AdolescentsRaising a Self-StarterRaising BlazeRaising Resilient ChildrenReclaiming Our ChildrenRedressing the EmperorReducing Adolescent RiskRethinking ADHDReweaving the Autistic TapestryRineke DijkstraRitalin is Not the Answer Action GuideRunning on RitalinSay YesSexual Teens, Sexual MediaSexuality in AdolescenceShooterShort PeopleShould I Medicate My Child?Skin GameSmackSmashedStaying Connected to Your TeenagerStick FigureStoner & SpazStop Arguing with Your KidsStraight Talk about Your Child's Mental HealthStrong, Smart, & BoldStudent DepressionSurvival Strategies for Parenting Children with Bipolar DisorderSurviving OpheliaTaking Charge of ADHD, Revised EditionTaming the Troublesome ChildTargeting AutismTeaching Problems and the Problems of TeachingTeen Angst? NaaahThat SummerThe American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook Of Child And Adolescent PsychiatryThe Arctic IncidentThe Bipolar ChildThe Buffalo TreeThe Bully, the Bullied, and the BystanderThe Carnivorous CarnivalThe Depressed ChildThe Developing MindThe Dragons of AutismThe Dream BearerThe Dulcimer Boy The Einstein SyndromeThe EpidemicThe Eternity CubeThe Explosive ChildThe Field of the DogsThe First IdeaThe Identity TrapThe Inside Story on Teen GirlsThe Little TernThe Mean Girl MotiveThe Men They Will BecomeThe Myth of LazinessThe New Gay TeenagerThe Notebook GirlsThe Nurture AssumptionThe Opposite of InvisibleThe Order of the Poison OakThe Other ParentThe Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday LifeThe Real Truth About Teens and SexThe Rise and Fall of the American TeenagerThe Secret Lives of GirlsThe Sex Lives of TeenagersThe Shared HeartThe Spider and the BeeThe StepsThe Thought that CountsThe Unhappy ChildThe Vile VillageThe Whole ChildThen Again, Maybe I Won'tTherapy with ChildrenThings I Have to Tell YouTouching Spirit BearTrauma in the Lives of ChildrenTreacherous LoveTrue BelieverTwistedUnhappy TeenagersWay to Be!We're Not MonstersWhat about the KidsWhat Would Joey Do?What's Happening to My Body? Book for BoysWhat's Happening to My Body? Book for GirlsWhen Nothing Matters AnymoreWhen Sex Goes to SchoolWhen Your Child Has an Eating DisorderWhere The Kissing Never StopsWhose America?Why Are You So Sad?WinnicottWorried All the TimeYes, Your Teen Is Crazy!You Hear MeYoung People and Mental HealthYour Child, Bully or Victim? |
| |
by Judith S. Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee Hyperion, 2004 Review by James E. de Jarnette, Ph.D. on Nov 8th 2004
What About The Kids by Wallerstein
and Blakeslee is a book for all homes experiencing the first throws of major
conflict through the final settling of things "back to normal" after
the divorce. This reviewer has found it so beneficial that it is routinely
recommended to patients undergoing the wars of marriage and the reconstruction
of the new family unit.
Chapters Three through Nine
eloquently explain the developmental challenges that children go through.
These chapters give a down to Earth cookbook of how these developmental stages
are effected and worked through during the stress of divorce and the all so
difficult rebuilding period that follows. Each developmental stage, looked at
as critical ages when children / adolescents form much of their personality
superstructure, dramatically effecting the rest of their lifespan, is examined
in the light of the most recent findings highlighting the parental roles and
the "how to" of coping with and enhancing the quality of life of
children in the midst of chaos.
Because these challenges last many years, this book is a
guide for parents who are thinking about divorce, who are in the process of
getting a divorce, or who split up a few or even many years ago and are deeply
concerned about how their children are doing in the post-divorce families. It
describes the changes that you will experience in those first few days, weeks,
and months after the decision is made and what you can do to take and stay in
control of your life. I can tell you exactly what to say to your children and
how, depending on their ages, they are likely to respond. I can lead you
through those first crazy years after divorce and describe what you can do to
protect your children from harm.
In this reviewer's estimation, these statements are not
idle boasts. The information imparted is presented in such a way that readers
will appreciate the simplicity and straight forward approaches given by the
authors. The book eschews psychobabble and circular logic that is pandemic in
many parental self-help books. The clarity is crisp and the information is
directly applicable to real life situations that this reviewer sees in his Beverly Hills private practice on a daily basis.
One of the things that judges are constantly ordering is
anger management treatment for one or more of the divorcing spouses. However,
the techniques used for adults to deal with anger, don't always adapt well to
the children of divorce. In most cases, the children of divorce are dealing
with a grief reaction. Anger is very much part of that process. Although you
keep assuring your children that they are still at the center of the family,
however divided by parental fighting, oftentimes the children's anger is
overlooked as the child just being selfish. Under that anger are children who
are worried, and fearful that the basic, "scaffolding he needs to support
growing up," is being ripped away. The chapter on anger deals directly
with this entire process.
In this same vein, children will be very manipulative where
shared custody or visitation is concerned. They will often act out their
frustrations by working one parent against the other. Telling direct untruths
are not at all out of character for a frightened and angry child.
If you can't communicate well and are tempted to believe
whatever your child says about your ex, try not to get caught in the web. One
father in our study always said to his son, "Tell me what you want, not
what your mom said. I'll make up my own mind." Just make it clear that
you make the rules for your turf. You're not responsible for what happens in
the other household. Moreover, you don't want to get drawn into issues that
are not worth fighting over.
Always chose your fights. Forget the small stuff. Much of
what you hear from your children about your ex is filtered through their own
desires and fears. You have every right to run your household and your
relationship with your children the way you decide to; keeping in mind the best
interests of the child. Children should never be used as pawns in a war
started in the divorce courts.
Since an estimated half of the children in divorced
families are six years old or younger at the breakup, a majority of children of
divorce enter and live through their adolescence in the post-divorce family.
Adolescence is a time of great change psychically,
psychologically, and psychosocially. In a family that is in total congruence
with both parents communicating at an optimal level, the path of adolescence is
a rocky one and one where manipulation by the adolescents involved is at an all
time high. Parents are often seen as objects to be gotten around; particularly
in light of the evidence that most adolescents view their parents as meddlesome
creatures with IQs less than idiots, if not brain dead altogether.
Children of divorce tend to enter adolescence earlier than
peers from intact families. They tend to persist in adolescent behavior longer
than those same peers—sometimes well into their late twenties. It's even
likely but not a certainty that the teenage years will be stormy…Nationally,
girls from divorced families are more likely to engage in early sexual
behavior, which in my experience can be as early as age twelve. Boys tend to
engage in delinquent behavior at an earlier age—"just try and stop
me" is a phrase you will hear a lot.
This book is well worth having and referring to often. It
has sound practical advise that I have seen work for patients in my private
practice. It is at the top of my recommendation list for couples divorcing.
The stressors that the book addresses are very real, and left for later or
ignored completely may lead to psychological trauma over the entire lifespan of
the children involved. It is always an appropriate gift for family and friends
who are going though divorce, and vital for you as a parent involved in even
the most amicable separations and or divorces.
© 2004 James E. de Jarnette
James E. de Jarnette, Ph.D.,
Forensic Child Custody Evaluator |