MSI Press Blog

  Divorce reshapes a family in countless ways, but few changes feel as dramatic as parenting across two coasts. When one parent lives in California and the other in New York (or any long‑distance pairing), the child’s world stretches across time zones, climates, cultures, and routines. And yet — children can and do adapt. The key lies not in geography, but in the emotional climate the adults create. Bi‑coastal custody isn’t simply a logistical challenge. It’s an emotional ecosystem. And children thrive when that ecosystem is predictable, low‑conflict, and rich in connection. The Emotional Reality of Two Homes Children living bi‑coastally experience transitions differently than kids whose parents live in the same town. Every shift between homes is bigger: longer flights, longer separations, and a deeper sense of “switching worlds.” Many kids describe it as having two full lives — each meaningful, each real, each requiring its own emotional reset. This reset takes energy. Psycholog...

Kelly James, author of the newly released, popular book  The Book That Almost Got Me Fired , was recently a guest on the Coffee, Grief, and Gratitude podcast in the episode, Grief Affects All of Me . From the website:  Kelly talks about her range of grief from divorce, to the death of her kids’ father, her dad’s death and more. In this engaging, funny, tender conversation Kelly offers fabulous suggestions, like instead of asking someone “How are you?” she asks, “How are you right this second?” Read the rest at the website:  Coffee, Grief, And Gratitude: “Grief Affects All of Me” with Kelly James on Apple Podcasts CURRENTLY #3 ON AMAZON'S LIST OF HOT NEW RELEASES. Book description: You're 52. Divorced. Single mom to a teenaged son and a tween daughter. Happily self-employed but worried about the cost of health insurance, the inevitable impact of perimenopause on your body, and whether you should keep dating a sexy plumber who's sweet and funny but lives an hour away ...

  from Divorced! Survival Techniques for Singles over Forty (Romer) The Break-U p   “I want a divorce.” If you cringe when you read these words, chances are you’ve heard them yourself. Or maybe you’ve uttered them—initiating a divorce is almost as bad as being the victim of one. Well, not quite. Having been in both situations, I can attest that it is far more painful to be the one who is left. Feeling lost, betrayed or abandoned is a typical reaction for the marriage partner who has been told that he or she is no longer necessary for whatever reason.  We cry, we sulk, we wonder what we did wrong. Often there is confusion and unanswered questions—is he really leaving today ? Is there another woman (or man), or isn’t there? That person whom we thought we knew, the one who is now in the process of walking out the door, isn’t telling us everything because—well, the truth hurts. At this difficult juncture, our soon-to-be ex-spouse may be trying to spare our feelings by le...

  Joanna Charnas was interviewed about the topic of divorce by Authority Magazine recently. You can read the interview HERE Joanna is author of four books: Read more posts by and about Joanna and her books HERE .

With time to be filled while locked away in quarantine, self-isolation, or sheltering in place. memoirs can become delightful reading material -- escaping into other worlds, experiencing other lives. Here is one of our favorites: Tucker and Me by Andrew Harvey: INTRODUCTION   My first memory involves being slapped in the face. I think psychologists put some measure of meaning into your first conscious remembrance. When people who know me read about this first memory, they are probably going to say, “Okay, now that explains a lot.” Well, I can’t blame them for that because in many ways I feel the same. I had just finished my lunch and was watching Sheriff John, a local Los Angeles daytime TV show for kids. I’m guessing I was only a few years old at the time because I remember still sleeping in somewhat of a crib contraption. Sheriff John was not an actual law enforcement official, but he wore a uniform that looked real to me and worked in an office that seemed pretty ...

                            ELAINE LANGLEY                                     “Don’t   let a man make you unhappy.”                                Elaine Langley is a slender, graceful woman with long flowing brown hair and a model’s face. She admits to doing some modeling before her first marriage (she’s had two), which ended in divorce in the late 1970s. "The No-Fault divorce changed things,” Elaine told me, in discussing her first divorce. “You didn’t have to claim someone was having an affair and ruin their reputation.”      Elaine said the whole proc...

From Divorced!  by Joanna Romer Don’t Let Your Ex Make You Miserable! While many divorced people want to discuss with their ex “what went wrong” with their marriage, you may find yourself coming to dread such conversations. Going through my second divorce, I told my therapist, “I feel awful after I talk with him, and I don’t know why!” The therapist’s reply: “So, don’t talk to him.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “I have to talk to him—“ “Why?” he interrupted. “You’ve got a lawyer. Everything’s pretty   much hashed out anyway.  So, don’t call him.” I was doubtful. “What if he calls me?” “Don’t answer.” Even though it seemed initially like the cowardly way of handling things, I soon found that I felt much better without the bi-weekly conversation with my ex, where we’d been trying to discuss our differences. After two weeks of not talking to him at all, I was noticeably more cheerful. As my therapist said, everything important had alr...