Becoming a single dad was one of the most traumatic events of my life. I did not want the divorce, I fought against the divorce, and ultimately I agreed to collaborative divorce and was taken to the cleaners by an ex who decided to go for the “divorce package” rather than honor our 50/50 shared parenting agreement.

That Silence Says A Lot: What Are You Paying Attention To?

Read more about the article That Silence Says A Lot: What Are You Paying Attention To?

When you ignore your kid's messages and voicemails you are giving them a very powerful message about their priority in your life. There is nothing you can say afterward, the exasperation has already taken place. This is never a happy response, "I don't know, I can't reach her and she's not responding."

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Marriage Story: “Another In a Long Series of Disappointments,” she Joked.

Read more about the article Marriage Story: “Another In a Long Series of Disappointments,” she Joked.

In disappointment, I withdrew into my Buddha-like head and perhaps developed a Buddha-like belly at the same time. She withdrew into more anger and disappointment, and perhaps into an escalating spiral she could not see a way beyond.

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Thriving After A Breakup: 6 Lifehacks Along the Recovery Process

Reclaim Your Joyous Life

Get right with yourself before moving on to partner with another person. You'll be much more attractive to other healthy people, and better equipped to see and avoid negative relationships.

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Getting Good At Blameless Breakups: Online Dating Challenges

Read more about the article Getting Good At Blameless Breakups: Online Dating Challenges

The goal is never to blame the other person for the breakup, even if they were the reason you are breaking up. Always take your responsibility for the miss. And make it about the chemistry, the mix, the overall relationship and not about them or their poor behavior. Remember, you are leaving the relationship, not trying to teach them a lesson or educate them.

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Giving Your Co-parent a Break: Think About the Kids, Not About Your Ex

Read more about the article Giving Your Co-parent a Break: Think About the Kids, Not About Your Ex

Hitting delete instead of send can make all the difference. I had another one of those moments this morning. An email from the mother of my children saying some passive-aggressive things…

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Loss of the Proximity Effect as a Divorced Dad

Read more about the article Loss of the Proximity Effect as a Divorced Dad

I'm watching my kids grow up from a distance, and it's painful. Sure, I have the standard possession order, the simple divorce equation for 80% of dads. But we're getting the raw end of the deal. Actually, divorce is the rawest end of the deal, but once that's determined, the only thing you can do is hope for maximizing your time with your kids. Still, it's not enough.

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Where Did Your Heart Go After We Got Married?

Read more about the article Where Did Your Heart Go After We Got Married?

Still, I'm not sure where her playful person went. I was offering new ideas while I was also trying to accommodate her "clean house" and "stable bank account" requirements. But I don't think she ever put a LOVE LIST together.

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