The stories within this book document how men and women-both straight and gay-have rearranged their lives to create harmonious kinship relationships and be successful parents after separation, thereby proving that divorce does not have to mean "unhappily ever after." Anchored in the author's personal experience, Wisdom for Separated Parents: Rearranging Around the Children to Keep Kinship Strong traces the long arc of family change through the actual words of men and women who have struggled through separation and co-parenting. This book provides stories from separated parents that share what they've learned from co-parenting and discovering new kinds of families, revealing insights on the process of untangling, rearranging, and "reinventing" straight and gay families. The extensive interviews in this book reach back as far as the 1950s and explain what it has meant to be separated for decades. These candid stories provide revelations on how to deal with the loss gracefully and minimize ill will, and recount the joys of having a bigger family and more kin connections. This book speaks to two different audiences: today's struggling parents, who will find valuable wisdom as they make crucial decisions about separation and divorce; and readers who have lived this history and will identify with the stories and gain insight and validation regarding their long-ago choices. Provides numerous insightful quotes derived from interviews with more than 50 parents Supplies a bibliography that covers topics such as post-separation parenting, stepfamilies, gay/lesbian parenting, transitions for adults, and the history of cultural and family change

Although Zack Taylor has become an alcoholic after asking his drug-addicted wife to leave the home, he has two delightful children, Sissy and Danny, who implement a search for their grandparents that Zack and Elaine had excluded from their lives. Zack is neglecting the children with gambling and alcohol consumption. After losing a tidy sum to Zack in a betting card game the loser, a drug cartel kingpin, abducts Zack eventually transferring him to a drug packaging factory in Belize where he's held prisoner. As Zack goes through alcohol withdrawal, he recognizes the foolishness of his path in life, and as he's exposed to the Christian faith of his fellow prisoner, he finds new hope in Jesus. Sissy and Danny reconnect with their grandparents who welcome them joyously while Zack and his new Christian friend break out of their factory prison and join Zack's younger brother, Evan, an engineer working in Belize. After several harrowing experiences Zack, Evan, and Evan's fiancee, Alice, make it back to the United States to rejoin their families. Soon after their return a successful effort is made to find Elaine. However, she is terminally ill with a drug-related infection. The families take Elaine home to give comfort care; eventually, Elaine declares her Faith. Can Zack and his children take this opportunity to rebuild their lives despite Zack's history of alcohol addiction and a destructive lifestyle by turning to and trusting in Jesus Christ?