The Co-Parenting Handbook - by Karen Bonnell (Paperback)

About the Book

"A practical manual for parents who are transitioning from being a couple with children to being co-parents. This guide helps those parents navigate difficult emotional terrain, create boundaries, and establish guidelines so that together they can be the parents their children deserve"--

Book Synopsis

A valuable parenting guide for divorced or separated couples with kids, this handbook offers tools for navigating conflicts and setting boundaries so both children and co-parents can thrive

Parents need help to confidently take on the challenges of guiding children through divorce or separation and raising them skillfully in 2 homes. The authors, both trusted divorce and co-parenting coaches, provide the road map for all family members to safely navigate the difficult emotional terrain through separation/divorce and beyond.

The authors offer reassuring well-tested guidance, including advice on:

- The emotional impact of separation for both parents and kids
- Conflict and mediation
- Settling into a 2-home family
- Respectful communication and decision making
- Managing finances
- Co-parenting at holidays and events
- Introducing new adults into children's lives

With strategies to help resolve day-to-day issues, create boundaries, and establish guidelines for a wide range of families and experiences, this accessible manual is a must have for co-parents.

Review Quotes

"An impressive guide for couples who are divorced or undergoing one. The book details the challenges of raising kids in two different homes with two separate beliefs, rules and how to address those challenges. For couples who are struggling with parenthood after divorce, this is one of the best co-parenting books."
--Anna Penenberg, author of Dancing in the Narrows: A Mother-Daughter Odyssey Through Chronic Illness

"This book is thorough while also being concise and easy to understand. Kudos to the authors for taking such a big topic and making it accessible and applicable to real life."
--Divorce Proofing

"A brilliant book that has been needed for a long time . . . Bonnell stresses the importance of putting the child's needs first, putting one's own ego to the side, and co-parenting without being swallowed by the emotional chaos."
--Mother

"When parents are separated or divorced, they face unique challenges while raising children. However, co-parents can still create healthy family dynamics even if the kids live in more than one home."
--New Day Northwest

"Bring co-parents together."
--DivorcedMoms.com

"The Co-Parenting Handbook by Karen Bonnell is a guide to raising well-adjusted kids affected by divorce or separation."
--Pagosa Daily Post

"The Co-Parenting Handbook helps parents confidently tackle the tough road ahead together as a family."
--ParentMap

"This book by Karen Bonnell is a practical manual for parents who may be raising children in two separate households ... in a kid-friendly way."
--425 Magazine

About the Author

KAREN BONNELL (ARNP, MS) is a board-certified clinical nurse specialist with 25 years of experience working with individuals, couples, and parents. As a divorce and co-parent coach, Karen is dedicated to thoughtfully resolving conflicts one person, one couple, and one family at a time. Highly active and respected in her field, Karen is a regular presenter on topics related to divorce and co-parent coaching, as well as advanced communication skills. She lives in the Cascade foothills outside Seattle.

Contributor KRISTIN LITTLE (MA, MS, LMHC) has over 17 years of experience guiding parents and children through the emotional landscape of separation and divorce. She serves on the board of the Collaborative Professionals of Washington.