Your Children – For Parents

“Your children-are not your children. They are the sons and the daughters of life’s longing for itself…….”

Why does it Matter?

Parenting Plans

Entrenched Cases

We believe that there is even more to be gained from mediation where parents have become entrenched in their litigation or conflict. Judges repeatedly warn that Courts are seldom suitable places for sorting out such conflicts and that mediation must be tried over and again. Visit our materials about this.

Other Materials
1. Your children-The Law
2. Your Children the Facts
3. How do we tell the children?
4. Children-separation and stress
5. Parenting Plan
6. We are still your parents A Questionnaire for parents
7. Key facts about children’s best interests
8. What if you are finding it difficult to agree?

Other resources
www.careforthefamily.org.uk/supportnet
www.parentlineplus.org.uk
www.divorceaid.co.uk

Weapons
 
Now our marriage is spiralling,
spinning beyond our control
and we have wounded each other
lovelost, vowbroken, ringthrown,
 
first we used silence as weapons
then we used words and then fists
the arms race was swift and impressive
our hands are now empty, they twist
 
in the dust. We have thrown
everything away but our anger
and still we have to keep fighting.
But there’s something we can do together:
 
let’s use the children as weapons,
let’s use the children as bait,
let’s keep each other’s memory
hated and naked and shamed
 
let’s use the children as infantry,
let’s use the children as spies,
let’s bring them up with the Director’s cut
with spin and with spite and with lies,
 
let’s use the children as weapons
let’s use the children as snares
we’ll have plenty more years of reprisals
if we make our unhappiness theirs.
 
By Clare Kirwan