Co-Parenting Holiday Survival Guide…on the next “Co-Parenting Matters”

With Thanksgiving less than a month away, the holidays are right around the corner.   For many co-parents, this season is one of the most challenging in terms of shared custody, cooperation, and communication.  How well you and your ex communicate and get along–or not–will determine how joyous and peaceful this time of year will be for your kids.

In our family, we generally alternate holidays.  This year, our son will be with his father for the Thanksgiving break, me for the week Christmas and back to his father for New Year’s Eve.  If we’re both in town, we’ll spend Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day together.  But, if not, it means that our son is away from one of us.  He seems to manage just fine, distracted by all the celebration, gifts and food–a phone call is enough.  I, on the other hand, struggle sometimes, missing him and wanting holidays to be more like they were for me as a kid.  But, knowing that he is happy and having a complete blast with people who love him gets me through it.

How will your family spend the holidays?  Do you and your fellow co-parent have a solid kid-centered plan in place?

We’ll be discussing holiday survival tips for co-parents on the next episode of our new talk show, “Co-Parenting Matters.” Join me and our friends Deesha Philyaw and Mike Thomas of CoParenting101 as we discuss the highs and lows of co-parenting at this time of year and share tips for coping with being away from your children during the holidays,holiday shopping on a budget, and effective ways to make sure your children enjoy their holidays no matter what your relationship is with their other parent.

Our guests will be Brooke Randolph, licensed mental health counselor and parenting coordinator, along with Patricia Stallworth of Minding Your Money.

Tune in: November 1, 2009 from 9:30pm to 11pm

Call (646)378-0580 or visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/CoParentingMatters to listen live and join in the discussion.

Send your questions in advance to contact@coparentingmatters.com, tweet us at @coparentingshow, or leave a comment below.  We want to hear from you!

Talibah Mbonisi, founder of WeParent, is a Marketer by trade, a problem solver by nature and a mother by grace. She is also an unmarried co-parent navigating the path that will lead to a happy, healthy son, and a fulfilled, balanced Mama and Daddy.

Read more articles by Talibah Mbonisi