Two Homes, One Childhood ─ A Parenting Plan to Last a Lifetime

A paradigm-shifting model of parenting children in two homes from an internationally recognized expert.
 
A researcher, therapist, and mediator, Robert Emery, Ph.D., details a new approach to sharing custody with children in two homes. Huge numbers of children are affected by separation, divorce, cohabitation breakups, and childbearing outside of marriage. These children have two homes. But their parents have only one chance to protect their childhood. Building on his 2004 bookThe Truth About Children and Divorce and a strong evidence base, including his own research, Emery explains that a parenting plan that lasts a lifetime is one that grows and changes along with children’s—and families’—developing needs. Parents can and should work together to renegotiate schedules to best meet the changing needs of children from infancy through young adult life. Divided into chapters that address the specific needs of children as they grow up, Emery:


‧ Introduces his Hierarchy of Children’s Needs in Divorce
‧ Provides specific advice for successful parenting, starting with infancy and reaching into emerging adulthood
‧ Advocates for joint custody but notes that children do not count minutes and neither should parents
‧ Highlights that there is only one “side” for parents to take in divorce: the children’s side
Himself the father of five children, one from his first marriage, Emery brings a rare combination of personal and professional insight and guidance for every parent raising a child in two homes.

Robert E. Emery, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology and the director of the Center for Children, Families, and the Law at the University of Virginia, where he has spent his entire academic career (beginning in 1981). He received his B.A. from Brown University in 1974 and his Ph.D. from Stony Brook University in 1982. Dr. Emery’s research focuses on family relationships and children’s mental health, including parental conflict, divorce, divorce mediation, child custody, and genetically informed studies of all these issues, as well as associated legal and policy issues. Emery has authored more than 150 scientific publications and several books on divorce. In addition to his research, teaching, and administrative responsibilities, Dr. Emery maintains a practice as a clinical psychologist, divorce mediator, and parenting coordinator. He is the father of five children.