Kids tend to blame themselves when parents divorce. The Sandcastles workshop--now mandatory in over a dozen counties throughout the United States--is a half-day group session for children of divorce between the ages of 6 and 17. This intensive workshop helps kids open up and deal with their feelings through drawings, games, poetry, role playing, and other activities. Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce details many of the workshop exercises, all designed to increase communication, understanding, and togetherness between parents and kids. The book is also packed full of suggestions on everything from the best way to break the divorce news to a child (it differs according to age group) to facing the holidays, visitation, custody arrangements, anger, discipline, co-parenting, single parenting, overcompensation, sorrow, custody fights, and much more.
Author Gary Neuman never patronizes or preaches, and although he is technically a child advocate, he proves himself to be an advocate of every member of the divorcing family. Neuman takes a hands-on approach and believes that children need not be permanently scarred by divorce--that with work and time, divorce can actually become a positive force for change. A powerful tool for protecting children caught amid parental struggles, Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce should be required reading in all divorcing families. --Ericka Lutz
From Library Journal
More than 20,000 children have taken part in the SandcastlesTM program, a method through which children of divorcing parents learn to cope with the breakup by meeting with each other and trained counselors. This program, completed in one 3.5-hour session, is available in Miami, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, and dozens of other cities. Neuman, a couselor, rabbi, and creator of the SandcastlesTM program, encourages children to speak, draw, and write to help them express their feelings and realize that they are not alone, weird, or at fault. Here he writes for parents who may not have access to the sessions and want to help their children through the experience of divorce. This is a thorough guide, using the art, letters, prose, and expressions from children in SandcastlesTM programs across the country. Sidebars, quotations, "dos and don'ts," and surveys make it easy to read. Highly recommended for all parenting shelves.?Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Gary Neuman has a wonderful way of nourishing parents while reminding us that there are no simple ways to help children through complicated family times. Whether we're parents, grandparents, or friends, all of us can be grateful for Gary's encouragement to be natural as we talk to--and listen to--our children. We can also be thankful for his support as we reach out for extra help when we feel we need it." --Fred Rogers, creator of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
"Of all the how-to advice about divorce on the market, the best is probably wrapped up in the book Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way. It's sympathetic, practical and loving; it covers all the problems faced by children of divorce; and it gives an excellent rundown of the reactions you can expect, age by age." -- The Washington Post
Review
"Gary Neuman has a wonderful way of nourishing parents while reminding us that there are no simple ways to help children through complicated family times. Whether we're parents, grandparents, or friends, all of us can be grateful for Gary's encouragement to be natural as we talk to--and listen to--our children. We can also be thankful for his support as we reach out for extra help when we feel we need it." --Fred Rogers, creator of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
"Of all the how-to advice about divorce on the market, the best is probably wrapped up in the book Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way. It's sympathetic, practical and loving; it covers all the problems faced by children of divorce; and it gives an excellent rundown of the reactions you can expect, age by age." -- The Washington Post
Book Description
Divorce is painful and confusing. Perhaps now more than ever, you want to give your child all the love, support, and guidance he or she needs, but everything seems harder and more complicated. Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way can help. Based on Gary Neuman's phenomenally successful Sandcastles program, which has helped more than fifty thousand children cope with divorce, this warm, empathetic guide shows you:
How to build a co-parenting relationship--even when you think you can't
When you or your child should see a therapist
Age-appropriate scripts for addressing sensitive issues
What to do when a parent moves away
How to stop fighting with your ex-spouse
How to navigate the emotional turmoil of custody and visitation
How to help your child deal with change
How to cope with kids' common fears about separation
How to introduce significant others into the family and help your child cope with a new stepfamily
More than a hundred pieces of artwork from children of divorce will help you appreciate how kids perceive the experience. Dozens of special activities and fun exercises will help you communicate and get closer to your child. This guide shows you that divorce need not be an inevitable blot on children's lives, but an opportunity for them to grow and strengthen the bonds with their parents.
From the Inside Flap
Divorce is painful and confusing. Perhaps now more than ever, you want to give your child all the love, support, and guidance he or she needs, but everything seems harder and more complicated. Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way can help. Based on Gary Neuman's phenomenally successful Sandcastles program, which has helped more than fifty thousand children cope with divorce, this warm, empathetic guide shows you:
How to build a co-parenting relationship--even when you think you can't
When you or your child should see a therapist
Age-appropriate scripts for addressing sensitive issues
What to do when a parent moves away
How to stop fighting with your ex-spouse
How to navigate the emotional turmoil of custody and visitation
How to help your child deal with change
How to cope with kids' common fears about separation
How to introduce significant others into the family and help your child cope with a new stepfamily
More than a hundred pieces of artwork from children of divorce will help you appreciate how kids perceive the experience. Dozens of special activities and fun exercises will help you communicate and get closer to your child. This guide shows you that divorce need not be an inevitable blot on children's lives, but an opportunity for them to grow and strengthen the bonds with their parents.
From the Back Cover
"Gary Neuman has a wonderful way of nourishing parents while reminding us that there are no simple ways to help children through complicated family times. Whether we're parents, grandparents, or friends, all of us can be grateful for Gary's encouragement to be natural as we talk to--and listen to--our children. We can also be thankful for his support as we reach out for extra help when we feel we need it."--Fred Rogers, creator of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
"Of all the how-to advice about divorce on the market, the best is probably wrapped up in the book Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way. It's sympathetic, practical and loving; it covers all the problems faced by children of divorce; and it gives an excellent rundown of the reactions you can expect, age by age." -- The Washington Post
About the Author
M. Gary Neuman is a licensed mental-health counselor, a Florida Supreme Court-certified mediator, a rabbi, and the creator of the nationally recognized Sandcastles program for children of divorce. His work has been featured on National Public Radio, Dateline, the Today show, Good Morning America, and elsewhere. He lives with his wife and five children in Miami Beach, Florida. Patricia Romanowski is the coauthor of sixteen books. She lives on Long Island with her husband, author Philip Bashe, and their son, Justin.
For more information on The Sandcastles Program, contact www.sandcastlesprogram.com.
Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way FROM THE PUBLISHER
Divorce is painful and confusing. Perhaps now more than ever, you want to give your child all the love, support, and guidance he or she needs, but everything seems harder and more complicated. Helping Your Kids Cope with Divorce the Sandcastles Way can help. Based on Gary Neuman's phenomenally successful Sandcastles program, which has helped more than fifty thousand children cope with divorce, this warm, empathetic guide shows you:
How to build a co-parenting relationship—even when you think you can't
When you or your child should see a therapist
Age-appropriate scripts for addressing sensitive issues
What to do when a parent moves away
How to stop fighting with your ex-spouse
How to navigate the emotional turmoil of custody and visitation
How to help your child deal with change
How to cope with kids' common fears about separation
How to introduce significant others into the family and help your child cope with a new stepfamily
More than a hundred pieces of artwork from children of divorce will help you appreciate how kids perceive the experience. Dozens of special activities and fun exercises will help you communicate and get closer to your child. This guide shows you that divorce need not be an inevitable blot on children's lives, but an opportunity for them to grow and strengthen the bonds with their parents.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
More than 20,000 children have taken part in the SandcastlesTM program, a method through which children of divorcing parents learn to cope with the breakup by meeting with each other and trained counselors. This program, completed in one 3.5-hour session, is available in Miami, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, and dozens of other cities. Neuman, a couselor, rabbi, and creator of the SandcastlesTM program, encourages children to speak, draw, and write to help them express their feelings and realize that they are not alone, weird, or at fault. Here he writes for parents who may not have access to the sessions and want to help their children through the experience of divorce. This is a thorough guide, using the art, letters, prose, and expressions from children in SandcastlesTM programs across the country. Sidebars, quotations, "dos and don'ts," and surveys make it easy to read. Highly recommended for all parenting shelves.--Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA
Art & Photography
Book Info
