Co-Parenting From the Inside Out by Karen Kristjanson

For episode 55 of the GSMC Book Review Podcast I chatted with Karen Kristjanson about her book, Co-Parenting From the Inside Out: Voices of Moms and Dads.  I was contacted initially about having her on the GSMC Relationship Podcast, but wanted to include her on the Book Review Podcast as well.

Source

Effective co-parenting, or sharing significant parenting time with an ex-spouse, is one of the best gifts separated parents can give to their children. The interviews in Co-Parenting from the Inside Out are with real moms and dads in diverse circumstances, showing them making choices, sometimes struggling, and often growing. Their stories offer insights into wise decision-making, as well as practical strategies that strengthen families. Parents can see that they are not alone as they navigate their feelings and build a future. While pain exists in most stories, there is also hope. Co-parents often feel that they have become more confident and compassionate, and parent better than before. The effects of their personal growth and their children’s are the silver lining in the dark pain of divorce.

Karen L. Kristjanson has brought together real life co-parenting stories that inspire separated parents and help them understand co-parenting better, offering practical tips and tools that directly benefit families. (Source)

Karen wrote this book after her own experience with co-parenting her 2 sons with her ex-husband.  She had wished at the time that there were more resources available that would help them through the process and be a source of support, so when she was in a position to do so she wrote the book she had needed herself.  Karen is passionate and compassionate about the subject and wants to advocate for families to have the best resources possible when making difficult decisions about the future of their family structure.

Karen interviewed 14 fathers and 28 mothers who had gone through or were in the process of Co-Parenting with their ex-partner.  The families involved were fairly diverse from those with special-needs children, both hetero- and homosexual parents, as well as families with financial, addiction, or mental issues.

Genres:

• Parenting
• Family and Relationships
• Non-Fiction

What I enjoyed:

• The stories from the moms and dads Karen interviewed.  The stories are often difficult, but reading them gives a sense of the obstacles, challenges, and successes that can come through the process of Co-Parenting.
• The way the stories were divided into categories based on types of families and experiences.  Anyone reading the book will be able to find situations and families that resonate with their own experiences.
• Karen's passion about this topic, her honesty about her own experiences, and her desire to offer other families a resource to help them through and emotionally charged period in their lives.

Who should read Co-Parenting From the Inside Out?

• Anyone considering or already co-parenting
• Families, friends, and support networks of couples who are co-parenting
• Anyone with questions about this process or who might be wondering under what circumstances co-parenting should or should not be pursued

Quotes:

• "The forty-two parents who told their stories ranged in age from twenty-seven to sixty-five.  Some were straight and some gay. Some struggled financially, some were well off.  Some endured high conflict situations, while others had minimal strife in their separations and divorce. Some parents had children with special needs, and some parents themselves had mental health problems.  Fourteen were fathers and twenty-eight, mothers."
• "We can teach our children only what we have already learned ourselves.  This is a central truth of being a parent."

Where you can find Karen online:
Website: http://www.beyondlimitscoaching.com/
Blog: https://karenkristjanson.wordpress.com/
Facebook: @SharedParentingAfterDivorce
Twitter: @CoParentAuthor

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Karen-L.-Kristjanson/e/B073V7KZX7/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Author Bio:

Source

Karen L. Kristjanson, MSc, MA is a professional life coach, writer, and member of Leading Women for Shared Parenting. A co-parent herself, she has over thirty years’ experience supporting adults tackling change, to help them both survive and grow. Kristjanson writes for Divorce Magazine and the Huffington Post Canada. She lives in Surrey, British Columbia.

For the interview with Karen please click here.