Cooperation
{3:30 minutes to read} Robert and Chris had mediated their divorce a few years back. They had agreed that since Chris was moving away to another part of the country, it would be in the children’s best interest to stay in their home with Robert and remain at the same school. Robert and Chris had…
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{2:30 minutes to read} Graduations, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, First Communions, school performances: all events that children want their parents to attend together. But what happens when parents are at such odds with one another that it is “impossible” for them to be in the same room? It’s important to remember that: This is your child’s special…
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{5 minutes to read} Celebrating our children’s birthdays post-divorce can often create some practical and logistical issues as well as a lot of emotional stress. As parents, however, we need to remember that this is a special day for our children and put ourselves, our egos and our priorities to the side.
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{3:30 minutes to read} For several years now, I have been a member of the board of directors of a cooperative building, aka “co-op,” in New York. Our role is to protect the assets of the shareholders. In doing so, we make decisions regarding the financials and the maintenance of the building, approving new buyers,…
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{3:18 minutes to read} Divorcing parents who choose to have joint legal custody of their children, i.e. joint decision making, are often concerned as to what happens if they disagree on issues regarding their children. I usually begin by reminding them that happily married parents may also disagree on whether the child should: Go to…
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{3:00 minutes to read} My mother died without a will. Our stepfather is still alive. There are also 4 siblings, and we can’t agree on how to divide up the estate. Agree?? George isn’t speaking to Alice. Mary Margaret blames me for trying to run the show. How are we going to get everyone around…
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{3:00 minutes to read} People usually relate a story or an incident from their own perspective, and sometimes that same story can sound quite different depending on who the storyteller is. Here is a little anecdote that might amuse you: I was standing on a crowded bus one day. A woman was sitting in front…
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{1:28 minutes to read} In Aesop’s story “The Dog and the Bone,” a dog carrying a bone over a bridge looks down into the water and sees its own reflection. Taking it for another dog carrying a better bone, the dog opens its mouth to bark at the “other” and in doing so drops its…
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{3:30 minutes to read} My father’s hobby was art collecting. Much of his leisure time was spent studying, reading art books and going to museums. When he found a work of art that he loved, he HAD to have it NOW. Most of the time, he bought from galleries, from other collectors and occasionally at…
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{3:18 minutes to read} Separating couples each have a personal story and their own reasons for seeking a divorce. Even when the narrative of the breakup is similar, there are still many differences, if only because of the personalities involved. But there is one line that I hear quite frequently: Just because he/she wants a…
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