We all recognize that teenagers have lives outside of their parents – lives they would much rather cultivate than their relationship with their parents! But...
Author archive for: Diane Dierks
The Truth about Parental Alienation
The phrase parental alienation has become somewhat ubiquitous in custody cases these days, reminiscent of the path ADHD and bipolar disorder took years ago when...
The Step-Parent Dilemma
NOTE: In this article, I use the phrase “bio-parent” when referring to a biological parent, legal guardian or adoptive parent. It is meant to be...
Peace Requires Acceptance
I wish I had a dollar for every co-parent who has told me they “just want peace” in their co-parent relationship. If the other parent...
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What is “healthy” co-parenting? The answer is to be realistic about whether or not you can be cooperative or should accept a parallel style (just...
The Power of Plan B
Co-parent conflict is often about parents feeling frustrated by their personal differences. Chances are those existed prior to the relationship break-up, but they become more...
Hate is a Learned Emotion
Kids who are neglected, abandoned, or abused by a parent have an array of emotions that they struggle with, including sadness, anger, disappointment, distrust, etc....
Monitoring Parent/Child Phone Calls
A subject that comes up in many of my cases has to do with one parent requiring a child to put the phone on speaker...
Kids Benefit from Different Parents
There is an almost universal concept in parenting. I say almost since there’s usually an exception to the rule, but I haven’t yet seen it....
So Your Teen Doesn’t Want to Visit the Other Parent…
In Georgia, the law is written so that if a 14-year-old child desires to live primarily with one parent in a divorce case, that desire...