How to Have THE TALK: Telling the Kids About Divorce with Parenting Expert, Christina McGhee on The Divorce & Beyond Podcast with Susan Guthrie, Esq. #139

In this episode of the podcast, Susan Guthrie, speaks with leading parenting expert, Christina McGhee, who helps parents walk through the anatomy of how to best tell your children that you are getting a divorce and how to handle the questions "why?" when it comes (and it WILL come!)

"Hey kids, we need to talk . . ."  These are the words that lead into the talk that all parents facing divorce dread.  They know that telling their children about the decision to divorce is going to impact their children's lives in ways they perhaps cannot even imagine but it must be done.  That's why in this episode, Susan speaks with one of the leading experts in parenting, best-selling author, speaker and coach, Christina McGhee, who walks you through the key elements that you need to include in THE TALK, and just as importantly, what to leave out!  Christina gives real, concrete tips for making the first talk with your kids, and all the subsequent ones (because there will be more) the best that they can be to help your kids to process and manage the stress and change brought on by divorce.

Highlights from the Episode:

• Find out what you need to know BEFORE having the talk.
• Hear tips on how to discuss the talk and get on the same page with your co-parent.
• Discover what the top 6 things are that the kids NEED to hear.
• Get Christina's insights on handling the fallout if your co-parent jumps the gun.
• Learn the best way to answer the question "why?"

AND SO MUCH MORE!  Every parent going through divorce will need the information in this episode so be sure to listen and share it with your co-parent!

***SPECIAL SERIES OF EPISODES on DIVORCE AND PARENTING!  Susan is thrilled to announce that Christina McGhee will be back for several episodes in the coming months to touch on several of the hot topics in parenting and divorce!  We will be discussing how to create a parenting plan that works for your kids, how to co-parent with a high conflict ex, how to handle the holidays and MUCH MORE so stay tuned.  CHRISTINA WILL ALSO ANSWER SELECT QUESTIONS SENT IN BY LISTENERS SO SEND AN EMAIL TO divorceandbeyodpod@gmail.com with your question and hear the answer on a future episode!***

For More Information on This Week's Special Guest:  Christina McGhee  is a speaker and divorce parenting expert who believes divorce doesn't have to equal devastation for families. While splitting up is undeniably hard, with the right kind of information and support, she thinks parents can be children's absolute best resource as life changes.  

As a coach with 20+ years of experience, Christina is dedicated to providing parents with the tools and practical support they need to get it right for their kids. She is also the author of the highly acclaimed book, Parenting Apart: How separated and divorced parents can raise happy and secure kids.

 

As a child of divorce and as a bonus mom (aka step-mom), Christina gets plenty of opportunities to practice what she preaches.  Together she and her husband have four “adultish” children (2 bonus, 2 bio), an ever-growing community of rescue dogs/cats, and an obscene number of chickens.

You can find out more about her at divorceandchildren.com

*** Christina's Special Gift for Listeners:  Talking to Kids About Divorce:  How to Handle Hard Conversations can be accessed here: https://divorceandchildren.com/just-for-you***

The film Split: A Divorce Survival Guide for Kids (and their Parents) can be viewed here:  https://www.brunofilms.com/split. 

Split is a deeply personal film made in collaboration with children aged 6-12, exploring the often frightening and always life altering separation of their parents.

Split gives us the children's perspective on divorce... no adults, no experts… just kids speaking the powerful truth of what is on their minds and in their hearts. Their wisdom, candor, and humor will give courage to other children, and encourage parents to make better choices as they move through divorce.

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SUSAN GUTHRIE, ESQ., the creator and host of The Divorce and Beyond Podcast, is nationally recognized as one of the top family law and divorce mediation attorneys in the country.  She is one of the Co-Chair's of the American Bar Association's DR Section Mediation Committee and is the Founder of Divorce in a Better Way which provides a curated selection of resources and information for those facing divorce and other life changes.  Susan has created a website of curated resources for those facing divorce.  Find out more at www.divorceinabetterway.com.

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THE LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE ACADEMY:  www.learntomediateonline.com

LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE:  THE LEARN TO MEDIATE ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM IS NOW AVAILABLE AS AN ONLINE COURSE!!  As one of the leading online mediation experts in the country, Susan Guthrie has created a simple and efficient online training program that allows mediation professionals to quickly and easily add an online platform to their practice!  The two hour online program covers the basics of conducting mediations through an online platform like Zoom, and reviews the ethical and practical considerations that arise in this format.  You even receive a copy of, and the right to use, Susan's Online Mediation Guidelines and Ground Rules to make your online mediations even easier for mediator and clients alike!  More than 15,000 professionals have benefited from one of Susan's trainings!  You can find the program at https://learntomediateonline.teachable.com/p/learn-to-mediate-online-training-program or just go to the website www.learntomediateonline.com!

Also available at the LTMO ACADEMY:  Social Media Musts for Professionals and DIY Website Builder!

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DISCLAIMER:  THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL ADVICE.  YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE WITH RESPECT TO ANY PARTICULAR ISSUE OR PROBLEM