Co-Parenting Matters: Join WeParent & CoParenting101 for our New Talk Show

…the debut of Co-Parenting Matters,
a live, weekly talk show on BlogTalk Radio!

Debut show: Sunday, October 25, 2009

Co-Parenting Matters
because kids thrive when parents partner.

Join us every Sunday evening @ 9:30 PM EST for a lively discussion of a variety of co-parenting related issues: communication, single parenting, divorce, finances, custody, dating, wellness, stepfamilies, and much more.

Hosted by the founders of WeParent.com (Talibah Mbonisi) and CoParenting101.org (Deesha Philyaw and Michael Thomas), along with guest experts: attorneys, counselors, and fellow co-parents!

For our inaugural show, we will focus on Co-Parenting Myths.  What misconceptions hinder your co-parenting relationship?  Share your experiences and pose your questions by calling in to (646) 378-0580 during the show on October 25th.

What issues and questions would you like to hear discussed on Co-Parenting Matters? We are planning upcoming shows and welcome YOUR input!  Leave a comment, send us an email (info AT weparent DOT org), or call in during the show.

Can’t join us on Sunday nights?  Listen to Co-Parenting Matters podcasts at BlogTalk Radio your leisure.

We invite you to tune in!

New Forum Discussion: Bringing Another Person into your Child’s Life?

Visit WeParent Connect to answer this question:  Just wondering what you all think about timing in regards to introducing a boyfriend/girlfriend to your child’s life? And should the other parent meet the bf/gf before your child does?

Facilitating a Co-Parenting Revolution

Be sure to check out CoParenting101.org‘s interview with WeParent founder, Talibah Mbonisi.  

Here’s an exercept:

CoParenting101.org had a wonderful opportunity to chat with Talibah shortly before WeParent’s official March 4th launch. Here are some other highlights from our conversation…

Talibah: I’ve said this to myself and to other mothers I know: You cannot have a child with someone after three months of knowing him, and then be mad when he turns out not to be your Prince Charming.  Well, you can, but the truth is,  we made choices, and somewhere along the way we have to own those choices,  shed our victim and claim our power.  That is my mantra to myself these days, and it has made a difference in my co-parenting relationship.

CoPa101: Some people can rise to the occasion of parenthood; others can’t or won’t.

Talibah: Very true.  You can stand between your child and serious harm, but you can’t shield him completely from the reality of who his father is.  Some people just aren’t going to be our vision of perfect parents.  But they may still have some purpose in their children’s lives, and we have to learn to be ok with that sometimes.

CoPa101:  We can’t confuse our hurt and pain and our disappointment in this person with the disappointment our kids may–or may not–feel.   Healing is so vital. We have to heal ourselves post-break-up for all the obvious reasons, but one really important reason is that we have to model healing and wholeness and cooperation for our children.

But let’s be frank: When someone has hurt you or disappointed you,  sometimes you want to do immature things, nasty things.   “I want you to hurt, because you hurt me.  And I don’t want you to be happy, because I’m not.  So, let me undermine your happy relationship with the kids.”  You want to get in your jabs,  but as a way of life, and in front of the kids and using the kids–that’s bad stuff.

Talibah: Pain will take you there, and many of us just don’t know how to allow ourselves to feel that pain but to also recognize it and move past it as part of the healing process.  We don’t have good ways to get those feelings out, except through our children and through drama.  And too often, our girlfriends (or guy friends) don’t call us on this behavior.

Read the entire interview

Official WeParent Challenge: Where the Bleep Are We Going?

The challenge has been issued!  In “Where the Bleep Are We Going?”, Talibah Mbonisi invited the WeParent community to not just consider, but to actually create a family vision statement…if you don’t already have one.  She’s not meeting you on the playground afterschool, but she will meet you in the Official WeParent Challenge forum on WeParent Connect.  And, if you visit the discussion, you’ll be able to download a tip sheet to help you get going.

Check Out “Drama Misty”

Don’t miss Drama Misty, the latest blog post from WeParent Connect member, Sara Shay Sullivan in which she poetically ponders the wonders of parenting a thirteen-year-old on the front side of womanhood.   Check out this excerpt:

Today Drama Misty decided for the third time in as many months that she’s, “never going to tell me anything again.” And after checking with Merriam-Webster for the definition of “never”, which for the record is synonymous with “tomorrow” in thirteen-speak, I realized we were headed to Act II, Scene 1 of the lifetime dramedy that is her life.  

Read the rest on WeParent Connect…

Join the Adult Children of Divorce Group

 

All of us were children once, and our experiences impact how we parent and co-parent.  Join our Adult Children of Divorce/Separation group on WeParent Connect and share in the discussion, insights and healing.

New Distance Parenting Group on WeParent Connect

Check out the Distance Parenting Connection group on WeParent Connect for tips, advice, information and support on how to be present, even though you’re away.

Just My Baby Daddy: Who Cares What We Call Ourselves?

Add your voice to the Co-spectives discussion about whether the labels we use to describe our parenting relationships really matter.  If you have a WeParent Connect blog, post about it.  And, if you don’t, why not start one today?

We’ll be selecting two posts to feature here on WeParent, as well as in our newsletter and on WeParent Connect.