New Child-Centered Divorce Telephone Group

Just two spots remaining for
Rosalind Sedacca’s new 2009
Child-Centered Divorce Group Coaching Program


Response to my new Child-Centered Divorce Group Coaching Program has been amazing. I’m busily planning the two groups now and have some additional bonuses on tap for each of our participants!

However, there are only two spots remaining for Group 1: Creating the Child-Centered Divorce Experience, designed especially for those of you facing, moving through or recently divorced.

Group 2: Success Strategies for Maintaining a Child-Centered Divorce, will be slightly larger. At this point there are possibly three spots available for this post-divorce parenting group focused on those divorced for more than six months. Even if you’ve been divorced for six years you’ll find valuable information in this program that will benefit everyone in the family.

Here’s how it will work:

· Each group will meet every other week for three months, via teleconference, for one hour, to discuss key principles and strategies that will help you emotionally as well as physically get through your days with a better attitude, more ease and enhanced communication skills (to use with both the children and your former spouse.)

· In every session we will explore a new topic to help you move through challenges to a place of confidence and empowerment when dealing with personal and family issues.

· BONUS: I have also planned an additional call with a special Monthly Guest Expert who will share their expertise on topics of crucial importance to you and answer your questions.

· All calls will be recorded so if you miss any sessions you will be able to listen at your convenience – or review a call whenever you choose.

· Each participant will have access to a Child-Centered Divorce Forum where you can share experiences, support and insights.

· All materials are included in the program.

· The low cost is only $50 per month!

My goal is to support you in taking positive steps toward experiencing a Child-Centered Divorce that will enhance your life and tangibly benefit you and your children!

Working together as a group -- sharing experiences, emotions, challenges and successes – will help motivate you to take bold steps in creating positive change!

If you’re ready to maximize your post-divorce parenting experience,

I invite you to join me in this valuable new program!

For details about dates and time, send me an email
with your time-zone, Group preference and preferred day of the week
to:
Rosalind@childcentereddivorce.com

Author Rosalind Sedacca wins 2008 Victorious Woman Award

Rosalind Sedacca, CCT was announced the first place inner of the 2008 Victorious Woman Award. The international competition was created by Annmarie Kelly, author of Victorious Woman! Shaping Life’s Challenges into Personal Victories. A panel of judges made the winning selections.

Sedacca is recognized as The Voice of Child-Centered Divorce and is the author of the new book, How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook Guide to Preparing Your Children -- with Love! Her winning essay was taken from the first chapter of her book in which she shares her personal story about the trauma of telling her eleven year old son that she was divorcing his father.

Sedacca came up with an innovative approach that more than a decade later she turned into an interactive ebook. What makes the book unique is that she doesn’t just tell parents what to say. She says it for them! Sedacca uses fill-in-the-blank, age-appropriate templates to show parents how to create a storybook sharing family photos and history as a successful way to have the tough “break-the-news” conversation.

Therapists, attorneys, mediators and other professionals throughout the U.S. and other nations have endorsed the book, attesting to the value of her novel storybook concept. Six therapists contribute their expertise to the book, as well. Her purpose is to raise the consciousness of divorcing couples so they will stop, talk and create a caring plan of action before having that first crucial conversation with their children.

Sedacca, who has since remarried, is also the founder of the Child-Centered Divorce Network where parents can access her free articles, ezine, blog, as well as many valuable resources and services to help parents create a “child-centered divorce.”

“By preparing a storybook in advance, about your family with your family’s photos, parents give their children something to hold on to that reminds them that they are safe and loved. The storybook approach also eliminates the awkwardness of not knowing what to say,” Sedacca adds, “while you are confidently providing essential messages your children need to understand.”

Sedacca’s son, eleven at the time of the divorce, is now a veterinarian who recently got married. His moving Introduction to the book personally acknowledges the effectiveness of this unique approach to a tough conversation.

“One of the most gratifying moments in my life came when my son, as an adult, confided that he understood why his Dad and I divorced,” says Sedacca. “While he was very upset at the time, he said he could now see it was the right decision. He also thanked me for maintaining a positive interactive relationship with his Dad -- what I now refer to as a Child-Centered Divorce.”

Kelly is a speaker, trainer, founder and principal of SkillBuilder Systems. Her consulting company offers Victorious Woman Workshops, where she facilitates a process through which women learn how to choose and develop more satisfying and authentic lifestyles, beginning with awareness and progressing through actions that result in a victorious outcome.

“Many, many of us are more victorious than we, and the world, give us credit for being,” says Kelly who claims her own victories over early familial dysfunctions that included alcoholism and sibling abuse, teenage overweight that resulted in self-image issues and paralyzing shyness, as well as later financial devastation and emotional loss.

Kelly says the purpose of the Victorious Woman Award is to “support other women, fearful of the unknown, and encourage them to find the good that waits for them on the other side of surviving!” She can be contacted at www.victoriouswoman.com.

How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook™ Guide to Preparing Your Children -- with Love! is available online as a downloadable ebook. It can also be purchased in CD format from attorneys, therapists and other professionals. To learn more visit http://www.howdoitellthekids.com. Sedacca’s free ezine, articles, acclaimed blog, coaching services and resource pages can be found at: http://www.childcentereddivorce.com. Reach Sedacca at: Rosalind@childcentereddivorce.com.

Acknowledged as one of Best Resources for Divorced Parents and Separated Families

I am honored to announce that my blog at www.childcentereddivorce.com has been included, and listed in first place, in the just released Best Resources for Divorced Parents and Separated Families.

The list was compiled by Life Coach Vanessa Van Petten and her team. It is posted on her popular blog, OnTeensToday.com.

Click here to see:
http://www.onteenstoday.com/2008/10/20/best-resources-for-divorced-parents-and-separated-families/

My new book, How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook Guide to Preparing Your Children -- with Love! is also included in her Best Divorce Books listing.

I hope you will visit this site and spread the word to your colleagues and clients. All of these pre-screened resources certainly deserve our attention and support.

To check out my blog and website, visit www.childcentereddivorce.com.

http://www.onteenstoday.com/2008/10/20/best-resources-for-divorced-parents-and-separated-families/

Best regards,
Rosalind

5 Must-Tell Messages to Prepare the Kids for Your Divorce

by Rosalind Sedacca, CCT

One of the most difficult conversations I ever had was telling my son about my pending divorce. I struggled with the anxiety of guilt, shame, fear and dread for weeks in advance. When should I tell him? How should I tell him? Should we tell him together? And most frightening of all, WHAT SHOULD WE SAY?

Thankfully I found a plan. I came up with a storybook that told my son, in words and pictures, the story of how his father and I met, married and started a family. It explained problems we encountered and the decision we ultimately made to get a divorce.

In my new book, How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook™ Guide to Preparing Your Children – with Love!, I provide a fill-in-the-blanks template that other parents can use to prepare their children for the many changes ahead. It also focuses on five key messages that are essential for every child to hear and understand. By sharing these points with your children you will enable them to better handle, accept and even embrace the challenges and changes they will soon be facing:

1) This is not your fault.
2) Mom and Dad will always be your parents.
3) This is about change, not about blame.
4) Things will work out okay.
5) Mom and Dad will always love you.

These core messages are the foundation your children will depend on when they are feeling frightened, sad or insecure. Repeat them often in your own words. You’ll be rewarded in countless ways as you and your children encounter and overcome the challenges of life after divorce.

* * *

Rosalind Sedacca, CCT is the author of the new book, How Do I Tell the Kids … about the Divorce? A fill-in-the-blanks storybook that prepares your children -- with love. Contact Rosalind at roz@rosalindsedacca.com. For free articles and her ezine, go to: www.childcentereddivorce.com .

Back to School for Children Means Time for Divorced Parents to Communicate

Guest Author: Cindy Harari, Esq.

Beginning the school year can be stressful as the lazy days of summer give way to a more rigorous schedule. The hectic pace of school, extracurricular activities and parental work schedules is especially challenging for divorced families where children shuttle between two homes. Many children have had the unfortunate experience of being at one parent’s home and needing something that is at the other parent’s home. These situations create stress for everyone involved, and now is the perfect time for divorced parents to think about how to avoid them.

The most basic tool for parents is the calendar. In addition to the academic schedule, each parent needs to calendar extracurricular activities for each child. It is the responsibility of each parent to keep track of each child’s activities including times, dates, locations, transportation, and equipment.

Ongoing access to information is important, but do not use your child as a messenger. Parents should be on an e-mail list and/or mailing list for every activity that each child is involved in. Parents need to be proactive regarding their responsibilities, and allow children the freedom to flourish during their childhood.

What if your child receives an invitation to a birthday party or a notice of a school trip? Make sure your child’s other parent knows about it by calling, sending a fax or e-mail. Does the event conflict with prior plans? Consider the value of flexibility and the best interest of your child.

Sometimes, the Marital Settlement Agreement (also known as the Divorce Agreement) includes a comprehensive parenting plan. Often, however, divorced parents must work out parenting issues that are not specifically settled in their Agreement. Communication is critical, especially between divorced parents. Now is the time to make sure the lines of communication are open, to make a fresh start for the school year.

* * * *

Cindy Harari is an attorney with a non-traditional approach that empowers clients to create a peaceful divorce and co-parenting relationship.Licensed to practice law in New York and Florida, she is trained mediator, arbitrator, coach, and parenting coordinator and an expert in problem-solving and alternative dispute resolution. Cindy educates clients about the complex issues involved with divorce, parenting and family law. She coaches her clients to develop the unique communication skills and problem-solving techniques necessary to create a peaceful divorce. She can be reached at cindyharari@aol.com

FreeTele-seminar on Post-Divorce Dating

Join me for a FREE Tele-seminar with a special guest author on

Wednesday, August 13th at 9 pm EST (6 pm PT)

The topic will be: Divorced with Children? How to Get Back Out There into the Dating World!

If you are divorced with children, you have much to consider before getting back into dating. Come hear me interview Amy Schoen, a dating-relationship life coach who will share valuable insights about post-divorce dating.

Learn about the best places to meet people who are kid-friendly ... pitfalls to avoid ... success strategies that really work.

Whether you are contemplating dating or have already started dating, you will be enlightened and motivated by the wisdom Amy shares.

After the interview, we will have time for a few questions. Please email your questions directly to Amy at coachamy@heartmindconnection.com.

Amy Schoen is a certified professional life coach and a dating and relationship expert who coaches s.ingles to attract the right relationship into their lives and couples to create the relationships of their dreams.

She speaks professionally to adult learning classes, organizations and social groups. Amy is the author of "Get It Right This Time: How to Find and Keep Your Ideal Romantic Relationship and "Motivated to Marry: Now There's a Better Method to Dating and Relationships." She has been featured in the Washington Post newspaper, the Washington Examiner, as well as, interviewed on TV, radio and online magazines. Learn more about Amy's coaching and helpful tips at www.HeartmindConnection.com.

When you sign up for the tele-seminar, you will receive the quiz, "Are You Ready for the Right One?" excerpted from Amy’s book, "Get It Right This Time: How to Find and Keep Your Ideal Romantic Relationship."

Sign up at www.heartmindconnection.com/teleseminar-aug08.html for the F.REE tele-seminar on Wednesday, August 13th at 9 pm EST.

We hope you can join us!

Demi Moore and Bruce Willis Win the First Annual Celebrity Co-Parent Award

Rosalind Sedacca, CCT, founder of National Child-Centered Divorce Month in July, and Cynthia Tiano, Esq., creator of the Celebrity Co-Parent Awards, have announced that Demi Moore and Bruce Willis are the winners of the first annual Celebrity Co-Parent Award.

“These two parents are ideal role models for families facing the challenges of divorce,” says Sedacca, a Certified Corporate Trainer and author of the book, How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook Guide to Preparing Your Children -- with Love! “Demi and Bruce have demonstrated all the qualities of a Child-Centered Divorce: responsible, loving and respectful co-parenting that puts the children’s emotional needs first when making any parenting decisions.”

Celebrity divorces have too often been examples of divorce gone wrong. Most recently there has been lots of negative publicity around the Christie Brinkley/Peter Cook divorce, and plenty of commentary about how it all is going to effect their children.

Too often divorcing celebrity couples such as Paul McCartney and Heather Mills, Hulk and Linda Hogan, Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, and others, play out in public arenas dramatic exaggerations of what many other people are experiencing in private. They get caught up in a never-ending spiral of negativity and pain. And, until now, the media has focused on catching these celebrities acting out the anger and pain of their breakups in the courtroom.

“It’s time to focus on and acknowledge those celebrities who have demonstrated a commitment to working together and placing their children first even during the toughest of times,” says Cynthia Tiano, Esq., a 26-year divorce attorney turned mediator and author of Happily Divorced! Secrets of the Win-Win Formula. “All of our celebrity co-parent contenders deserve recognition for their efforts to create peaceful divorces for themselves and their children. It was a difficult decision to select one couple, but Demi and Bruce’s commitment to respectful co-parenting for their children has withstood the test of time,” says Tiano.

Demi Moore has been candid and open about her own parents’ divorce, and how it has solidified her commitment to getting along with her ex, Bruce Willis. “I’m the product of divorced parents, and my brother and I were the pawns in my parents’ game. I never wanted that for my kids”, said Moore. “At that time, I could not have seen what a gift that situation was, but without that experience, I would not have known there was a different choice to make in my own divorce.”

About her own co-parenting relationship with Bruce Willis, Moore says, “We get so much from being able to share holidays and spend time with all of us together. The kids don’t have to choose. They’re getting double the support, double the love, double the encouragement.”

And how does Demi’s hubby Ashton Kutcher feel about it all? About Bruce Willis, Kutcher says, “He shares the three most precious things in his life with me. If I didn’t honor that, I would be an idiot.”

The other contenders for the award were Robin Williams and his soon-to-be former wife Marsha, who have publicly committed to using the Collaborative Divorce model which avoids acrimonious litigation to achieve a peaceful outcome. Vanessa Williams and her two exes, Rick Fox and Ramon Hervey, who celebrate holidays together as one family were also acknowledged for keeping the well-being of their children in mind and providing an atmosphere of love and respect among the parent figures in their lives.

During Child-Centered Divorce Month, Sedacca and Tiano are passionate about enlisting the nation’s legal and therapeutic communities to bring a heightened awareness to parents about how deeply their children are affected by their behavior toward each other. “We can never overemphasize how dramatically parental decisions about divorce can affect their children – in the short-term and for years to come,” notes Sedacca.

The Child-Centered and Peaceful Divorce communities are honored to recognize those celebrities who co-parent their children with respect toward each other, and extend a sincere salute to Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, winners of the First Annual Celebrity Co-Parent Awards for their peaceful post-divorce co-parenting. They encourage Demi and Bruce to speak out offering parenting advice they can share with others walking in their shoes.

During Child-Centered Divorce Month, and thereafter, the professional peaceful divorce community will be providing insights, tips and effective strategies for creating positive divorces for children and parents through interviews, teleseminars, workshops and other events. Visit http://www.childcentereddivorce.com and http://www.peacefuldivorce.ning.com to learn more.

Announcing the First Annual Celebrity Co-Parent Award during National Child-Centered Divorce Month

Cynthia Tiano, Esq., reformed “killer” divorce attorney turned mediator and creator of the Celebrity Co-Parent Awards, and Rosalind Sedacca, CCT, founder of National Child-Centered Divorce Month in July, have announced the contenders for the first ever Celebrity Co-Parent Awards, which were created to catch celebrity co-parents in the act of doing something right.

The criteria for the award are celebrity couples who have survived the breakup of their relationship and have consistently engaged in responsible, loving and respectful co-parenting that puts the children’s emotional needs first when making any parenting decisions or dealing with each other.

The celebrities recognized by the Child-Centered Divorce consortium and the Celebrity Co-Parent advisory board as good role models when it comes to separation, divorce and parenting are:

* Demi Moore and Bruce Willis who have worked through their problems and consistently maintained a good working relationship for the benefit of their children;
* Robin Williams and his soon-to-be former wife Marsha, who have publicly committed to using the Collaborative Divorce model which avoids acrimonious litigation to achieve a peaceful outcome, and;
* Vanessa Williams and her two exes, Rick Fox and Ramon Hervey, who celebrate holidays together as one family, keeping the well-being of their children in mind and providing an atmosphere of love and respect among the parent figures in their lives.

While court battles rage on for other celebrity co-parents, complete with gossip and headline hype, these couples stand out above the crowd for their dedication to the well-being of their children, and a desire to see them thrive despite the fact that their parents are no longer living together.

The winners will be announced on July 21, 2008, and will receive a Certificate of Excellent Co-Parenting and a trophy representing parents encircling their children with love and protection from the potential devastation of separation and divorce.

Cynthia Tiano, Esq. is co-author of the book Happily Divorced! Secrets of the Win-Win Formula. Rosalind Sedacca is author of the new book, How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook Guide to Preparing Your Children -- with Love!

Sedacca and Tiano are passionate about enlisting the nation’s legal and therapeutic communities during the month of July to bring a heightened awareness to the issue that acrimonious separations and divorces deeply and permanently damage their children’s fragile sense of self-esteem.

“We can never overemphasize how dramatically parental decisions about divorce can affect their children – in the short-term and for years to come,” notes Sedacca.

Sedacca, who has become recognized as The Voice of Child-Centered Divorce, suggests parents ask themselves “What will my children say to me about my divorce when they are grown adults? Will they understand and thank me for handling the situation respectfully and harmoniously? Or will they be bitter about selfish decisions that disregarded their well-being?” Her book is based on her own personal experience with divorce more than a decade ago. Her son, who was eleven at the time, wrote the Introduction and was recently married with both sets of parents on hand to celebrate in harmony and joy.

Tiano, who spent the first 14 years of her 26-year divorce practice as an aggressive litigator and the past 12 years as a certified family mediator believes that “It is entirely possible to create a peaceful separation and/or divorce if both parents are committed to doing so. It becomes much easier for the parties to avoid the pitfalls and devastation of a bitter breakup if they remain child-focused. That includes remembering that their children love them both, and that their children’s suffering is directly proportional to the extent to which their parents fight.”

During Child-Centered Divorce Month the professional divorce community will be providing insights, tips and effective strategies for creating positive divorces for children and parents through interviews, teleseminars, workshops and other events. Visit http://www.peacefuldivorce.ning.com and http://www.childcentereddivorce.com to learn more.

July is National Child-Centered Divorce Month – focusing on children’s emotional needs when parents divorce or separate

I'm excited to announce that the second annual recognition of National Child-Centered Divorce Month will take place throughout July across the United States. Professionals who deal with divorce issues -- therapists, attorneys, mediators, coaches, educators, clergy and others – will be joining forces to share valuable parenting messages. One of the most significant is: Don’t Make Your Child a Pawn in Your Conflict. Instead, put your children's needs first when making decisions related to divorce or separation.

I am the founder of National Child-Centered Divorce Month. I'm a Certified Corporate Trainer and author of the new book, How Do I Tell the Kids about the Divorce? A Create-a-Storybook Guide to Preparing Your Children -- with Love! I've created a Child-Centered Divorce Network for parents and work closely with a broad group of therapists, attorneys, mediators, divorce coaches, educators and other professionals who focus on creating the most positive and harmonious outcomes for families transitioning through divorce.

For too long our nation has been negligent in recognizing the respect we owe to our children. This is especially true for parents experiencing the challenges of divorce or separation. We’ve all read the headlines and seen the damage inflicted onto children through divorce gone wrong. In July we need to discuss and demonstrate how parents can do it right.

As you can see, I'm passionate about enlisting the nation’s legal and therapeutic communities for one purpose: bringing a heightened awareness to parents about their children’s fragile sense of self-esteem. We can never overemphasize how dramatically parental decisions about divorce can affect their children – for years – and often for a lifetime.

My new book is based on my personal experience more than a decade ago when I was facing the difficult task of breaking the divorce news to my eleven year old son. After many sleepless nights I ultimately created a simple and compassionate storybook, integrating family photos and history, as a successful way to move through the tough conversation.

It really worked well. Now I've turned my innovative Create-a-Storybook™ strategy into a customizable ebook with age-appropriate fill-in-the-blank templates, along with advice from six practicing therapists. The book is designed to keep parents on track with the right messages. Children (ages 5-15) love to see themselves in the family photos and derive comfort from being able to read the book again and again in the weeks and months that follow.

My son is now a practicing veterinarian. He was co-parented from age eleven on and honored me by writing the introduction to my book. He was married this past Memorial Day. My former husband and I were there along with our spouses and extended families. Everyone got along beautifully. I believe there is no greater gift that you can give to a child of divorce than that peace of mind.

I attribute most of the negative consequences of divorce to one or both parents making choices that are not in the best interest of their children. Frequently parents are so caught up in their own drama -- in anger, resentment, frustration, grief and other emotions -- that they forget their children love both Mom and Dad and in most cases do not want to lose the connection with their other parent.

Throughout National Child-Centered Divorce Month I want to remind parents to share some important messages with their children. These include:

• None of this is your fault.
• Both Mom and Dad still love you -- and always will.
• Despite the changes in your life, you will be okay because Mom and Dad are handling things with your best interest at heart.

Remember that your children are innocent victims of your choices. They are also relatively powerless and emotionally fragile. If you love them, think before you act and remember to put their needs first.

I encourage all professionals who counsel, coach, teach or support divorcing families to participate in National Child-Centered Divorce Month. Their voices can be heard by joining together, writing articles, offering seminars, sending press releases, getting radio and TV interviews and reaching out in their communities with their valuable insights. My goal is tol spread the word that when parents divorce, their children need them more than ever. Parents ... don't let them down!

For more information about Child-Centered Divorce Month in July, visit http://www.childcentereddivorce.com. Rosalind provides free articles, a blog, free ezine and many useful resources for parents transitioning through divorce and beyond. She can be contacted at Rosalind@childcentereddivorce.com.