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As a follow up to Part One, Diane and Rick describe the family court hearing they recently attended and interview one of the parties. They get a first-hand perspective about the personal devastation these types of cases cause, even when there is a capable judge in place. How does it feel to prepare for years for a final hearing, only to be completely deflated by an out-of-touch judge? Find out in this episode.

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Diane & Rick report on a recent court hearing they attended, in which the judge admonished the parties to never come back to the court, if they knew what was best for the children. Diane questions what that really means. Is that possible? What if you have no choice? How can judges have so much power to affect the lives of innocent parties who really don’t want to be in front of a judge? They discuss an initiative to get citizens in courtrooms and invite judges who may be listening to come on and...

What if your co-parent informed you, after the fact, that your child was baptized — and according to your child, all of his/her extended family attended?! How do you respond when your child wants to know why you weren’t there? Diane & Rick discuss the difficulty of dealing with a co-parent who purposely leaves the other parent out of major decisions or life events. WHO DOES THIS? Unfortunately, too many.

Have a co-parent dilemma? Email 1234Dilemma@gmail.com or access us on our NON-Impossibles F...

Diane & Rick reach into the mailbag and answer several listener questions about common topics facing parents with impossibles on the other side. They discuss a variety of topics on the show and give episode reference numbers for listeners to hear more about each topic from past episodes.

FINALLY, the digital version of our Communication Protocol Workshop is available for purchase. Click here to buy the video.

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Diane & Rick discuss three types of grief parents can experience after separation and divorce. They focus on complicated and ambiguous grief, when the natural healing process is interrupted by toxic co-parents or alienating behaviors. Also discussed are ways parents can address these more complex processes that can feel so painful and destructive to the family system.

To learn more about the grief process and researcher, Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor’s work, CLICK HERE.
FINALLY, the digital version...

Diane & Rick take a deep dive into what parental alienation feels like from the child’s perspective. From having trust issues in relationships to learning to lie to survive, they explore the destructive impact alienation has for children long-term. Also discussed are ways to respond to an alienated child and what to do if you are an adult survivor of this type of emotional abuse.

To access the Adult Kids of Alienation (AKA) Facebook group, CLICK HERE

To learn more about the Center for Navigati...

In this unique episode, Diane and Rick stay silent (shocking :-), so the voices of alienated parents can be heard. They discuss their personal pain, but more importantly, how alienation deeply hurts the children and their relationships with siblings and other family members.

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To learn more about the Center for Navigating Family Change, go to: CNF...

Author Dana Laquidara joins the show to discuss her memoir,You Know Who, referring to the mother she was never allowed to talk about as a child. This episode drives home the concept that alienating a child from a parent has lifetime negative consequences.

Click here to order the book, You Know Who, and to learn more about Dana, visit www.Dana Laquidara.com.

Be first in line for individual co-parent coaching, being launched by CNFC this fall. Just fill out the info form to get on the pre-regist...

Diane & Rick welcome author William McGee to discuss his novel, Half the Child. The main character in the book struggles with parental alienation and naively thinks the court will rule in the best interests of the child. He has a rude awakening, as he realizes the system designed to help him is destroying his life.

To order the book, Half the Child, and learn more about Bill, visit www.halfthechild.com.

Be first in line for individual co-parent coaching, being launched by CNFC this fall. Just ...

This emotional episode describes Diane’s experience attending Sarah’s final hearing. Get ready to hear how we plan to hold courts accountable in these complex cases with another podcast and non-profit. It’s time to bring a powerful voice to a subject that has been pushed underground for too long.

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Diane & Rick begin Season 4 with the final chapter of the Case from Hell. If you haven’t listened to Season 2, binge it before listening to this emotional episode that describes Diane’s experience attending Sarah’s final hearing. This is the perfect episode to kick off our Parental Alienation month in September. Get ready to hear how we plan to hold courts accountable in these complex cases with another podcast and non-profit. It’s time to bring a powerful voice to a subject that has been pushed...

David asks if he should ask the court for more time with his kids because of alienating behaviors he suspects their mom is encouraging. Diane & Rick discuss the risks of making an already insecure parent more insecure by further court action and how that may affect the children. They also provide advice about the importance of the non-custodial parent creating an environment where the children can be themselves and simply be children, regardless of what the other parent is doing.

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Tom emails a question about how to respond when his co-parent goes silent on a time-sensitive decision and how to react to the children, who seem to be using the same passive-aggressive techniques with him. Diane & Rick discuss how to resolve time-sensitive conflicts and talk to teenagers who are clearly stuck in the middle of the adult conflict.

Time to sign up for our August workshop! How Do I Know My Child Will Be Okay? Pitfalls
August 18, 2023 at noon (EDT)
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Diane & Rick respond to an email from Janelle who struggles to please her co-parent without being walked on, and at the same time is afraid to set boundaries for fear her ex and the court will see her as a "bad" co-parent. They discuss what kids really need the co-parent relationship to look like in order to be okay.

For more info about the email communication protocol mentioned in this episode, click HERE.
Time to sign up for our August workshop! How Do I Know My Child Will Be Okay? Pitfalls
A...

Listener Janelle wonders if it is okay to snoop on her child’s phone and worries that if the other parent finds out, he will be upset. Diane & Rick wonder why this is even a question and discuss the importance of managing phone use, regardless of who bought and pays for the phone. They go over the bullet points of their court order language for phone communication, as well as the need to talk to kids about the rules. Also discussed are the reasons kids sometimes don’t want to talk to a parent wh...

Diane & Rick discuss the problem of others, like family, friends, and untrained professionals, guilting high-conflict co-parents into trying harder to “just get along”. They explore ideas on how to talk to kids about difficult subjects when one parent is incapable of discretion, putting the other parent in the position of having to help a child process the confusion. They remind listeners that real world high-conflict co-parenting doesn’t have quick, clean, or antiseptic answers.

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Time to sign up for our August workshop! How Do I Know My Child Will Be Okay? Pitfalls of living with an impossible co-parent
August 17, 2023 at noon (EDT)
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LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT AT THE WORKSHOP. EMAIL US NOW!

Want to talk about this episode with Diane and other parents? Be part of the conversation on the NON-Impossibles Facebook group

To get a special discount on therapy through BetterHelp, visit www.BetterHelp.com/Dilemma

If you are a professiona...

Diane & Rick address Cassie’s question about her step-son’s mother - who freezes him out if he acts like he had a good time with dad. They discuss the destructive nature of this type of emotional manipulation, as well as the consequences for his future relationships.

Time to sign up for our August workshop! How Do I Know My Child Will Be Okay? Pitfalls of living with an impossible co-parent
August 17, 2023 at noon (EDT)
https://lnkd.in/eTbSAMvT

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT AT THE ...

Time to sign up for our August workshop! How Do I Know My Child Will Be Okay? Pitfalls of living with an impossible co-parent
August 17, 2023 at noon (EDT)
https://lnkd.in/eTbSAMvT

Want to talk about this episode with Diane and other parents? Be part of the conversation on the NON-Impossibles Facebook group

To get a special discount on therapy through BetterHelp, visit www.BetterHelp.com/Dilemma

If you are a professional working with high-conflict co-parents, join our LinkedIn group.

Find us...

Diane & Rick address Richard’s question about wanting more time with his son than his co-parent’s nanny gets. Discussed are the dangers of stereotypes and bias, the perils of making blankets statements, coming up with creative options when you don’t want to take it to court, and all kinds of other random info!

Want to talk about this episode with Diane and other parents? Be part of the conversation on the NON-Impossibles Facebook group

To get a special discount on therapy through BetterHelp, v...

Kim writes to the show and expresses her frustration with her co-parent, who made an appointment with a counselor for their child without telling her. She then calls the counselor, who tells Kim some disturbing things about her process that causes Diane & Rick to cry foul. How do you know if a therapist is trained to work with kids of divorce? What could go wrong if they aren’t? The hosts break it down.

To learn more about Positive Buoyancy Disorder, click HERE. 😀 (listen to the show if you are...

In this episode, Diane and Rick explore listener Deanne’s question about a co-parent who uses his religion to control and emotionally abuse the children. The hosts discuss how difficult it can be when extreme religious, cultural, political, and social views can make the co-parenting relationship radically stressful for a parent who may have similar values, but that are not taken to the extreme.

Want to talk about this episode with Diane and other parents? Be part of the conversation on the NON-...

Diane & Rick explore how some impossible co-parents interpret what is NOT in the parenting plan to exercise control and manipulation. They discuss examples they have had in their careers as well as read a Facebook post from listener Monique about phone calls with her child.

Want to talk about this episode with Diane and other parents? Be part of the conversation on the NON-Impossibles Facebook group

If you are a professional working with high-conflict co-parents, join our LinkedIn group.

Find...

Diane & Rick explore the subject of what to do when a child calls from the other home, complaining about your co-parent and seems distressed. How do you determine if it is serious or just venting? Do you stop answering after more than one call? Do you rescue your child or just validate their experience? The hosts break down this complicated issue into practical advice.

Want to talk about this episode with Diane and other parents? Be part of the conversation on the NON-Impossibles Facebook group...