Co-Parenting Matters

It’s back to school time, & we’re pleased to welcome Ashley Harper to the show as our guest. Ashley is the Lower School Director at Winchester Thurston School in Pittsburgh, and she's the mom of a 2nd grader & a 12th grader. Ashely will share some back-to-school basics--how co-parents can help their kids get off to a good start---and she’ll discuss ways co-parents, teachers and administrators can partner to enable kids to thrive at all year long  So whether you’re a veteran of back-to-school season, a newbie, or an educator or administrator, we hope you’ll join us for this informative conversation.   Send us your questions in advance to be entered to win a copy of Deesha and Mike’s book, Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce.  We’re @coparenting101 or @coparentingshow on Twitter, or [email protected]

On this month's show episode, we discuss the hard cases, the tough nuts to crack, the brick walls...you get the idea.  When you've tried to communicate and cooperate with your ex to no avail, or when substance abuse, mental illness, or domestic violence is a factor in your co-parenting situation, you may feel powerless to protect your children from the emotional distress and other consequences relaed to your ex's behavior. Co-parenting may seem impossible. But the good news is you can still make a positive difference in your children's lives.  Our guests are three co-parents, Friends of Co-Parenting 101 Carolyn Edgar,  Pauline Gaines, and Eric @real_ATLDAD) who are in the co-parenting trenches, parenting under some difficult circumstances.  They'll share their stories with you, and we'll share some strategies for tackling your toughest co-parenting challenges.  Send your questions in advance to [email protected], or tweet us @coparentingshow.   Also...we'll be sharing tips from Chapter 12 of Deesha and Mike's book, Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce, "15 Things You Can Do for Your Child in Spite of Your Uncooperative Ex," and we'll give away a copy of the book during the show.  Just send us a question, and you'll automatically be entered to win.  (You can also ask a question and not be entered in the drawing; just let us know.) We hope you'll tune in! brick wall photo credit: Colin Brough

Father's Day was last weekend, but we're continuing the celebration with our all-dad episode of "Co-Parenting Matters" show on BlogTalkRadio. Mike will host a dadtastic discussion with co-parenting dads Anderson Fils-Aime, a housing and political activist and father of two; and Keith Reed, also a father of two, and a senior editor for ESPN The Magazine.  The show will air live on Sunday, June 23 @ 8:30 PM EST.   photo credit: Anissa Thompson

In May, we celebrate Mother's Month on "Co-Parenting Matters," and this year we're celebrating with some of our favorite moms.  Join us as we talk about step-mothering, single motherhood, adoptive motherhood...and of course, co-parenting, with our special guests: Stacia L. Brown, founder of BeyondBabyMamas.com; Friend of Co-Parenting 101, PhatKeke; Heather Hetchler, founder of Cafesmom; Amy Urbach, founder of blendedandbonded.com; and Sherry Thomas, Mike's wife, and stepmom to Mike & Deesha's kids.

Are you ready to date again? If you're not sure--or not sure how to jump back into the dating arena--don't miss this episode.  Our guest Mandy Walker is a divorce writer, mentor and coach. Following her own divorce in 2007, Mandy founded SinceMyDivorce.com where she shares stories from women about every aspect of divorce and life after divorce. In 2011, Mandy wanted to start dating but was petrified – she hadn’t kissed anyone besides her husband in twenty years! Mandy discovered the Fit4love coaching program and that gave her confidence to start. Mandy went on to become a certified Fit4love coach and is now their Operations Manager. Mandy will talk with us about how co-parents can assess their readiness to date, about sex and dating, and about dating with kids in the mix. Whether you're not quite ready to test the dating waters, or if your dating life isn't quite where you want it to be, we hope you'll join us for this lively and informative conversation!