The Truth About Children and Divorce

Robert E. Emery, Ph.D., The Truth About Children and Divorce: Dealing with the Emotions So You and Your Children Can Thrive

Dr. Robert Emery is a professor of psychology and the director of the Center for Children, Families, and the Law at the University of Virginia. He is the author of more than 100 scientific publications and several books. His research focuses on family relationships and children's mental health, including parental conflict, divorce, child custody, family violence, and legal and policy issues.

The Truth summarizes insights derived from Dr. Emery's 25+ years of experience as a researcher, therapist, and mediator. It teaches parents how to manage the flood of emotions - the cycle of grief and other strong, often overwhelming feelings - that accompany separation and divorce. It reminds grieving spouses that their ultimate goal should be a detached and businesslike relationship when it comes to each other, but a loving and supportive co-parenting relationship when it comes to their children. Chapters are devoted to debunking the myth of resilience, talking to children about separation, developing parenting plans based on age and maturity, and becoming authoritative parents. It offers practical suggestions about what co-parenting arrangements are most likely to succeed in cooperative, distant, and angry divorces, and how to introduce children to new relationships. Dr. Emery's style is compassionate and forgiving, and he urges his readers to never give up, to take the long view, to maintain their integrity, and to be hopeful for the future.