New Book from Kids First Center Offers Solutions for Reducing Impact of Separation and Divorce on Children



The Kids First Center (www.kidsfirstcenter.org), a private non-profit organization focused on helping children and parents cope with the effects of separation and divorce, has just published a new book to help parents and professionals reduce the effects of divorce on children. "Kids First: What Kids Want Grown-Ups to Know About Separation and Divorce" is being heralded as a breakthrough tool for concerned parents and the professionals who work with divorcing families. "'Kids First' is an honest and practical guide to providing emotional and physical well-being to children whose world is rocked by divorce. This book is preventative medicine for all divorcing parents," says Christiane Northrup, MD, author of "Mother-Daughter Wisdom." Says Felicity Myers, family therapist and mediator, "I want to give a copy of 'Kids First' to each and every one of my clients. It will surely help lower inter-parental conflict and make life better for children affected by this issue."

The book takes parents and professionals through the series of events that children go through during their parents' separation or divorce, and describes the emotional impact of those events from the child's perspective. Clearly demonstrating the linkages between parent behavior and child emotional response, the book is a critical tool for parents wishing to protect their child from the fallout of divorce. While an adult may experience relief in the event of a divorce, it is an emotion rarely shared by children, who instead confront feelings of guilt, embarrassment, worry and anger. By providing expert advice on how to effectively listen to children, guidelines for how to tell kids about the separation, and how best to avoid putting kids in the middle, "Kids First: What Kids Want Grown-Ups to Know" gives practical advice on how to keep parenting relationships healthy in the most trying of times. "Adults who take the time to read this book will gain useful information, insight, and resources to help the children in their lives deal with divorce," says Betsy Plourde, Executive Director of Advocates for Children, in Lewiston, Maine.

"Kids First: What Kids Want Grown-Ups to Know" is being published by Tower Publishing, and is available at your local bookstore or library, as well as www.towerpub.com.

About Kids First: The Kids First Center is located in Portland, Maine and offers a variety of programs for parents going through separation and divorce, as well as support groups for their children. Kids First has received the Agency of the Year Award from the National Association of Social Workers as well as the Annual Family Law Achievement Award from the Maine Bar Association. Since its founding in 1998 it has helped tens of thousands of New England families.





New Book from Kids First Center Offers Solutions for Reducing Impact of Separation and Divorce on Children