Love | The Whole Parent

Love is the core skill and core need we all have. Many of us grew up in homes where love was conditional. If you behave this way I will love you. If you go against my wishes, I will exclude you from my love. This is not how love works. Love is universal energy, either you’re tapped into it and give it freely, or you are lacking in love.

Letting Go of Those We Love

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:August 23, 2018
Post category:Depression Divorce Health and Fitness Joy Love mindfulness Relationships Self-care Spirituality

Love deeply. Live deeply. And when you lose someone, go on loving as deeply as you can. In the case of my brother, I will go on loving him as he becomes a spirit.

Co-Parenting Problems and Healing Strategies

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:August 20, 2018
Post category:Anger burn Co-Parenting Dating Depression Divorce Health and Fitness Joy Love Parenting Relationships Self-care Single-Dad

Always treat your co-parent with respect and compassion. A metaphor for co-parenting might be, "Treat them as well as you do a convenience store clerk." You want to get in and get out with as little hassle as possible.

Connecting with Teenagers One at a Time on Their Terms, Always

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:August 12, 2018
Post category:Co-Parenting Divorce Love Parenting Single-Dad

I'm a single dad who wants as close a relationship as I can have with my two kids. They've got their own agendas, their own friends, and their own problems. I'm simply here to offer my companionship and support.

The Good Dad’s Divorce: Being Asked to Leave Everything Behind

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:August 5, 2018
Post category:Co-Parenting Depression Divorce Love Married Life Money Parenting Self-care Single-Dad

We need our dads to show up for us, as well as our moms. And when the dad is removed from a family, with the SPO, the balance is shifted dramatically in favor of the "mom as the emotional center" of everyone's lives.

Are We All Hungry Tigers? Passionate? Predatory?

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:August 2, 2018
Post category:Dating Health and Fitness Joy Love Relationships Self-care Sex Single-Dad

Here's a quick test you can run at home. While walking around today, your city, your grocery store, your public streets, notice your attraction to other animals, other animals of…

Voyeurism, Sadness, and Traveling Alone: a Tincture of Depression

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:August 1, 2018
Post category:Dating Depression Health and Fitness Joy Love Relationships Self-care Sex Single-Dad Spirituality

It's amazing to be away from your lover and feel the feelings of longing and pain. Remembering what it was like when we were not in a relationship. I crave being in a relationship. And today, I am lucky. I am loved and in a loving relationship.

Grief is Underneath: A Divorce Fable

Post author:John McElhenney
Post published:July 20, 2018
Post category:Anger Co-Parenting Depression Divorce Love Married Life Money Parenting Relationships Self-care Single-Dad

I sat with my anger long enough, until she told me her real name grief. Underneath that rage at me, must be sadness. I feel it when I touch the anger inside myself about how I've been treated since the divorce. I'm sad because we were so close. I'm sad because we still share two wonderful children that are affected by such rage and unresolved anger.