Investigates social parents – people who function as parents but who may not be recognized as such in the eyes of the law What makes a person a parent? Around the world, same-sex couples are raising children; parents are separating and re-partnering, creating blended families; and children are living with grandparents, family friends, and other caregivers. In these situations, there is often an adult who acts like a parent but who is unconnected to the child through biogenetics, marriage, or adoption—the common paths for establishing legal parenthood. In many countries, this person is called a “social parent.” Psychologically, and especially from a child’s point of view, a social parent is a parent. But the legal status of a social parent is hotly debated. Social Parenthood in Comparative Perspective considers how the law does—and how it should—recognize social parenthood. The book begins with a psychological account of social parenthood, establishing the importance of a relationship between a child and a social parent and the harms of not protecting this relationship. It then turns to social scientists to identify and explore some circumstances when a child may have a social parent. And to compare legal responses to social parenthood, the book draws on the expertise of legal scholars in nine countries in North America and Europe. The legal contributors describe the existing laws governing social parents, critique their efficacy, and offer new insights. Though almost all of the countries analyzed have adapted to the new reality of family life by recognizing social parents in some manner, the nature and extent of the recognition varies widely. The volume concludes by discussing some of the issues flowing from the decision to recognize social parents, including whether social parents should have the same legal rights and responsibilities as other legal parents, whether all social parents must be treated identically, whether the law should limit a child to two parents, and much more. Families are changing, and the law must adapt accordingly. Social Parenthood in Comparative Perspective charts a way forward by offering solutions to help policymakers consider options for addressing social parenthood.

This book carefully and compassionately tours the divorce process from the very first considerations one has when contemplating divorce through getting back on one's feet once the divorce is completed. Along the way, the reader is advised about ways of controlling anger and not demonising the divorcing partner; putting the concerns of children first; avoiding destructive, warring attitudes; equitably dealing with child custody matters; choosing a divorce forum (mediation or litigation); finding good, honourable legal representation; working with judges and accountants; and putting personal lives back together after the trauma of divorce. A thorough yet tidy handbook made up of many small sections that can be easily digested during a time a crisis, when one's mental attention may not be at its most acute, the book will guide both husbands and wives to a dissolution of marriage that is as peaceable and constructive as possible.

In every pub in every town unspoken stories lie beneath the surface.

Each week, six women meet at The Bluebell Inn. They form an unlikely and occasionally triumphant ladies darts team. They banter and jibe, they laugh. But their hidden stories of love and loss are what, in the end, will bind them.

There is Mary, full of it but cradling her dark secret; Lena - young and bold, she has made her choice; the cat woman who must return to the place of her birth before it's too late. There's Maggie, still laying out the place for her husband; and Pegs, the dark-eyed girl from the travellers' site bringing her strangeness and first love. And Katy: unappreciated. Open to an offer.

They know little of each other's lives. But here they gather and weave a delicate and sustaining connection that maybe they can rely on as the crossroads on their individual paths threaten to overwhelm.

With humanity and insight, Kit Fielding reveals the great love that lies at the heart of female friendship.

Raw, funny and devastating, all of life can be found at the Bluebell.

"How am I supposed to keep going when all I want to do is hide? How does separation work. What are the ins-and-outs and complexities of divorce? Am I going to get through this?" Ruth Clements divorce turned her world upside down, and now she guides the reader, with compassion and practical advice, on how to survive the maelstrom. Showing that there is always hope, and giving tips on how to deal with the practicalities of separation and divorce, Clements has written a guide that is warm, entertaining and practical. This book will show you that there is a way through and will be your companion on the journey.

A memoir of falling in love, the fallout of infidelity, and everything messy in between - and the inspiration behind the hit CBC podcast. "Beautifully and powerfully written, Alone: A Love Story left me heartbroken and inspired at the same time." - Terry Fallis "A lyrical tribute to the intoxicating, dramatic, destructive and ultimately empowering nature of love." - Anna Maria Tremonti "Michelle Parise is the best company. Her passion and humour leap off the page." - Camilla Gibb The church wedding, the new house, a beautiful baby ... Michelle was sold a dream and bought into it. But one day, nine years in, she wakes up in an empty bed, and The Husband isn't there. Then, he drops The Bomb - he was having an affair with a woman at work. Adrift and on the edge of forty - fuelled by grief, booze, and one-night stands - Michelle battles the monster she calls Loneliness, juggling being a part-time parent and part-time partier. Though dangerously close to rock bottom, Michelle takes a chance on love again with a dashing but complicated man - The Man with the White Shirt. Michelle, an expert in "emotional forensics," dives into the wreckage with candour and humour, uncovering a story about falling in and out of love, divorce, single parenthood, and the messy world of dating. What she finds, beneath it all, is life and the courage to face it alone. "Michelle Parise knows how to shape and deliver a story that will keep you coming back for more." - The Atlantic

There's no question about it: your children are the most important thing in your life. But if you have gone through a messy divorce, your relationship with your children may become strained if you have to deal with a toxic ex. Your ex may bad-mouth you in front of the kids, accuse you of being a bad parent, and even attempt to replace you in the children's lives with a new partner. As a result, your children may become confused, conflicted, angry, anxious, or depressed-and you may feel powerless. In Co-parenting with a Toxic Ex, a nationally recognized parenting expert offers you a positive parenting approach to dealing with a hostile ex-spouse. You'll learn to avoid the most common mistakes of coparenting, how to avoid "parental alienation syndrome," and effective techniques for talking to your children in a way that fosters open and honest response. In addition, you'll learn how to protect your children from painful loyalty conflicts between you and your ex-spouse. Divorce is often painful, especially if your ex habitually tries to undermine your relationship with your children. But with the right tools you can protect your kids and make your relationship with them stronger than ever. This book can show you how. You can find out more about this book and about author Amy J.L. Baker at www.amyjlbaker.com.

Timeless wisdom for all who grieveFor more than fifty years Good Grief has helped millions of readers, including NFL players and a former first lady, find comfort and rediscover hope after loss. This classic text includes a foreword by Dr. Timothy Johnson, a leading communicator of medical health care information. An afterword by the author's daughters tells how the book came to be.Good Grief identifies ten stages of grief--shock, emotion, depression, physical distress, panic, guilt, anger, resistance, hope, and acceptance--but, recognizing that grief is complex and deeply personal, defines no "right" way to grieve.Good Grief offers valuable insights on the emotional and physical responses persons may experience during the natural process of grieving. Reflection questions help readers explore their own experience with each stage.Whether mourning the death of a loved one, the end of a marriage, the loss of a job, or other difficult life changes, Good Grief is a proven steady companion in times of loss.

#1 New Release in Human Sexuality Transform the Way Conflict Affects Your Love LifeWant to bring more peace into your relationship and also get back that "spark" that's been missing? From bad breath to infidelity, find resolution for issues that cause division. If left unresolved, sources of disconnect can lead to major rifts in a relationship. Authors CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke bring over twenty years of experience in family and marriage counseling and relationship coaching to this book. They cater their advice to romantic relationships and provide resolution strategies for women and men. Bring back the "spark" that's been missing. Passion is essential to relationships, and equally important across the spectrums of love, sex, and dating. Whether it's our first love or last love, in order for our bond with our partner to thrive, there needs to be a sense of excitement present. By transforming the way conflict affects us, we create a space for the intimate relationship or passionate marriage we long for to take root and grow. Conflict doesn't have to be a deal breaker. While arguments with our partner can get tiring, looking at those disagreements as opportunities to strengthen our bond rather than weaken it can have a significant impact on their effect. With conflict comes the chance to communicate and solve problems together. This can restore a sense of intimacy and connection with our partner, both emotionally and physically. In The Beauty of Conflict for Couples, you will find: Relatable stories that shed light on the common struggles of romantic relationships Practical tools that offer guidance for addressing conflict A source of hope for relationships that appear to be fated for failure If you and your significant other have looked for guidance in books such as Mating in Captivity, The 5 Love Languages, Hold Me Tight, or Campbell and Clarke's first book, The Beauty of Conflict, then you'll find a further source of resolution in The Beauty of Conflict for Couples.

When Rossandra White walks into her Laguna Beach home one day to find that her husband of twenty-five years has disappeared--leaving behind only a cryptic, hastily written note on the kitchen counter as an explanation--she knows he'll come back. It's not the first time this has happened, and she trusts that their marriage, though tumultuous, will endure. But she soon learns that this time is different--and as new information comes to light, she realizes that the cracks in their relationship may have deepened past the point of repair.
In the midst of this turmoil, White's physically and mentally disabled younger brother needs her help. She returns to South Africa, land of her birth, to answer his call--and when she comes back to California, she finds that her dog Sweetpea, who for years has served as a vital emotional link between herself and her husband, has begun to succumb to a fatal illness. Ultimately, it is this core-rattling confluence of crises that forces White to face her own demons and make a decision: stay in a marriage that's crumbling before her eyes, or leave her husband and forge a new life for herself.

Betrayal has many faces, including anger, abuse, deceit, and infidelity. If you've recently left a relationship where you felt betrayed by your partner, you may have difficulty moving on. In fact, it can seem impossible to view the world without the shadow of this past betrayal hovering over you, and as a result you may struggle to create meaning in your life and build new, loving relationships. In Living and Loving after Betrayal, clinical psychologist and anger management expert Steven Stosny offers you effective tools for healing based on his successful program, CompassionPower. This program was founded on the belief that individuals and societies are more powerful when compassionate than when angry or aggressive, and that true strength comes from relating compassionately to others and remaining true to your deeper values. In this book, you'll learn practical strategies for overcoming betrayal-induced trauma and chronic resentment using this compassionate approach. Most books on betrayal only focus on the big issues, such as infidelity, abuse, or sex addiction. This book explores all of these topics, but also explores less-talked-about betrayals, such as emotional manipulation, dishonesty and deceit, and financial betrayal. In addition, this book aims to help you regain a sense of trust in others so that you can eventually find another compassionate person to share your life with. Recovering from the betrayal of partner isn't easy, but there are ways that you can heal and learn to love again.

Southern women are inundated with rules starting early-from always wearing sensible shoes to never talking about death to the dying, and certainly not relying on song lyrics for marriage therapy. Nevertheless, Katherine Snow Smith keeps doing things like falling off her high heels onto President Barack Obama, gaining dubious status as the middle school "lice mom," and finding confirmation in the lyrics of Miranda Lambert after her twenty-four-year marriage ends. Somehow, despite never meaning to defy Southern expectations for parenting, marriage, work, and friendship, Smith has found herself doing just that for over four decades. Luckily for everyone, the outcome of these "broken rules" is this collection of refreshing stories, filled with vulnerability, humor, and insight, sharing how she received lifelong advice from a sixth-grade correspondence with an Oscar-winning actress, convinced a terminally ill friend to write good-bye letters, and won the mother of all "don't give up" lectures by finishing a road race last (as the pizza boxes were thrown away). Rules for the Southern Rule Breaker will resonate with every woman, southern or not, who has a tendency to wander down the hazy side roads and realizes the rewards that come from listening to the pull in one's heart over the voice in one's head.

Some of the statistics are well known, if still jarring: One of two marriages contracted will end in divorce. More than a million children each year experience their parents' divorce. Other figures are less publicized: Diagnosable psychological problems occur in 30%-40% percent of individuals whose parents divorce-a rate three times higher than that for individuals whose families remain together. Divorce and Co-parenting explores the impact of divorce on adolescents and young adults, drawing on anecdotes from the authors' own medical and law practices to illustrate how parents' decision-making can powerfully impact their children's well-being before, during, and after a divorce-even into adulthood. This volume, a revised edition of How to Help Your Children Overcome Your Divorce-originally published in the 1990s-is updated to reflect significant changes in family dynamics, technology and social media, and the matrimonial legal landscape over the past 30 years. This guide offers new methods of alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, arbitration, collaborative law, and parenting coordinators, as it addresses a wide variety of family situations, such as the following: * Uninvolved or absent noncustodial parents* Parents with mental illness* Incarcerated parents* LGBTQ parents or children* Sexually or physically abused children Although written to be a multidisciplinary resource for professionals in many settings-among them, psychiatrists, social workers, pediatricians, and attorneys-Divorce and Co-Parenting is written in an accessible, easily digestible style. This makes the book applicable for parents, grandparents, teachers, and even adolescents looking for practical information on mitigating the effects of divorce on the family.

'Gripping' Vogue 'Empowering' Cosmopolitan 'Joyful' Financial Times 'Eye-popping' Daily Mail When her 22-year-marriage suddenly ended, 47-year-old mother of three Laura expected life as she knew it to be over. What she hadn't expected: * An incredible one-night stand * A new-found sexual appetite * Ten men in eight months * That there is plenty of fun to be had after 40 From G-spots to bald spots, dirty talk to dating fiascos, Available is the unflinchingly honest, empowering, and humorous true story of one woman's love life after divorce. 'A real page-turner [...] Unexpected, original, funny and sometimes deeply infuriating, Laura Friedman Williams has so much to say about what we expect of women's sexuality. I loved it' Viv Groskop author of How to Own the Room

The BBC Between the Covers Book Club Pick 'Sentence by sentence, Ben Hinshaw offers wit, sensitivity and sharp observation. Then slowly the reader sees the grand design - the intricate, braided storylines, sustained with energy and relish. It is entertaining, and something more - truly involving, like a whole novel sequence cleverly condensed' Hilary Mantel Surrounded by the dramatic beauty of Guernsey, a teenager discovers a secret and finds his betrayal has the power to ruin adult lives. In London, a marriage shot through with infidelity leads to a quest for revenge, resulting in a series of simultaneously comical and catastrophic events. And in California, as wildfires threaten landscapes and lives, a young veteran struggles with the trauma of war, seeking solace at a local ranch. In this extraordinary debut, a cast of characters grapple with unexpected betrayal, the loss of innocence and the lies we tell. With sharp insight, Ben Hinshaw illuminates the unnerving nature of what it means to grow up, to be a teenager playing at adulthood and an adult playing games.

Suddenly Single shares real life stories of women at each stage of their relationship break up making it instantly relatable for women trying to move on after the ending of a relationship. Simple, practical, and easy to read, this must-have guide is the perfect companion for women at any stage of a relationship breakup. It differentiates itself by helping readers to understand the relationship break up process and then offers practical and proven life coaching techniques that when applied can help women feel more in control of their situation and more positive about their future. Sprinkled with humour and positivity it offers hope to anyone experiencing the loss of a relationship and teaches us that the most important relationship we have in life is the one we have with our self.