Honest conversations with divorcing dads about staying connected to your kids while building a life that you love. Topics include co-parenting, fatherhood, divorce recovery, parenting tips, and emotional well-being.
She Is Kind to Me In Ways That Are Very Foreign to Me
Fourteen months after the divorce, Mark is enjoying time with his new girlfriend and learning what it's like to be in a healthy relationship. While Mark and his girlfriend are getting ready for their kids to meet, Mark is working through his relational insecurities. Mark reflects on how his experience as a child to parents who argued often shaped his sense of being responsible for other people's happiness, and contributes to his worrying that his girlfriend is quietly upset or displeased with...
27 Sept 2024
Maybe She Wasn't Out to Hurt Me
More than 13 months after the divorce, Mark is excited about a woman he started dating, who shocked and delighted him by bringing him flowers on Father's Day. We talk about how Mark introduced his new relationship to his kids, and how he experienced their response to the news. Mark continues to process his reactions to his ex, and is moving toward considering her more as unaware and unempathetic than as intentionally malicious.The book Forgive for Good (by Frederic Luskin) has been...
20 Sept 2024
To Protect My Kids, There are Certain Feelings I Must Not Feel
Nearly a year after the divorce, Mark is planning a 2-week trip with his kids, and enjoying his ability to share more of his culture of origin with his kids than when he was married.Mark continues to explore dating, and finds that his anxiety around dating diminishes as his goal shifts from wanting to be liked to checking if the connection feels like a good match.While much of Mark's life feels good, Mark is becoming increasingly aware the anger he feels toward his ex and her affair partner. ...
13 Sept 2024
What She Did Was Cruel
Eleven and a half months after the divorce, Mark finds himself repeatedly rattled by unexpected close encounters with his ex' affair partner, and he is processing the anger and hurt that he feels toward his ex and her partner. We discuss ways for Mark to set clear boundaries with his ex in order to make sure these encounters don't take him by surprise. We also talk about ways to handle those times when his ex ignores his requests, including how to communicate about those times with his ex, an...
6 Sept 2024
I'm Happy I Got Divorced
Eleven months after the divorce, Mark and his ex switched to the new 2-2-5 parenting schedule, and Mark is still figuring out how well the new schedule is working for him and the kids. Mark also realized that the pet birds he was stuck with and is caring for are a vestige of taking care of his ex, which is not something he wants to keep doing. Mark is grateful that his kids are doing so well, and reflects on the incredible hidden blessings that resulted from his divorce. We also talk about ou...
30 Aug 2024
Parenting, My Way
Ten and a half months after the divorce, Mark is planning his new weekly routine as his family starts the new 2-2-5 parenting schedule, and we discuss ways to make the parenting schedule smoother. Mark continues to enjoy being able to parent his way as a single parent, as reflected by a fun trip he took his kids on. On the dating front, Mark is exhausted by having to care about and communicate with people that he doesn't feel a strong interest in, which leads him to reflect on whether or not ...
23 Aug 2024
Preparing to Change the Parenting Schedule
Ten months after the divorce, Mark's interest in dating is waning, and he is wondering if reason is that he isn't interested in the specific women he met, or if he simply doesn't have the energy to be in a romantic relationship. Mark is also preparing for a change in the parenting schedule, from alternating weeks to a 2-2-5 schedule. We discuss the implications of the different schedules for Mark's time with his kids, and on his own.Topics include:• When to take a break from dating• Preparing...
16 Aug 2024
Have I Just Been Suppressing My Feelings?
Nine and a half months after the divorce, Mark accidentally ran into his ex's partner (who was also the ex's affair partner), and was surprised at the intensity of his reaction. We talk about the process of becoming less reactive to past trauma, and about how to manage intense emotional reactions to the ex and her partner. Mark is also wondering how to support his kids about concerns they express regarding their mom's partner. On other fronts, Mark is figuring out his dating ethics and specif...
9 Aug 2024
Do The Kids Look A Little *Too* Well?
Nearly nine months into the divorce, Mark is hitting his stride with incorporating fun activities into his life, both with the kids and without them. The kids are saying they're getting used to the divorce and to missing the other parent, and they seem less upset about it - but Mark is concerned that one of his kids looks a little *too* well, and may be suppressing or hiding his upset. On the dating front, Mark realized that he is afraid of entering a romantic relationship because of the vuln...
2 Aug 2024
Co-Parenting Is Actually Pretty Smooth By Now
Eight months into the divorce, Mark continues to be surprised by ways his ex makes him uncomfortable, but recognizes that co-parenting is becoming smooth overall, and could be much worse. In our recent conversations, Mark and I discussed alternatives to the parenting schedule Mark and his ex agreed to, which is a "week on, week off" schedule, that does not allow Mark to establish a weekly routine. In this conversation, Mark shares the agreement he reached with his ex to try a different kind o...
26 Jul 2024
"I'm Discovering The Person I Want to Be"
Seven and a half months into the divorce, Mark continues to reconnect with things that give him joy, and starting to navigate dating as a single dad. We discuss how to make sure the kids are okay as their dad starts to date, how to feel more relaxed and at ease before and during dates, and the recurring theme of setting effective boundaries with the ex.Topics include:• Going on the first couple of dates• How to feel more relaxed and at ease before and during date by focusing on "match" rather...
19 Jul 2024
"I'm Pretty Happy Just Being a Single Dad!"
Six months into the divorce, Mark is feeling more emotionally even-keeled and less triggered by his ex. He is learning to enjoy his time away from the kids, and more clearly appreciating not having to take care of the needs of another adult. Mark reflects on the challenges of the early stages of divorce and the strategies that helped him get through it.Topics include:• Holiday schedule with the kids• Doing things with the kids that you couldn't do while married to an ex who likes different th...
12 Jul 2024
Dating After Divorce: Why, When, Where, and How
Five and a half months into the divorce, Mark is appreciating his "new normal" and reaping the benefits of having figured out a systematic way for telling friends that he got divorced. We talk about dating as a divorced dad: How to know when you're ready to date, how to date in a way that is mindful of the kids, and where to meet people.Topics include:• Updating friends and family about the divorce with a "standard email"• Feeling okay when the kids are away• When is it time to start dating?•...
5 Jul 2024
Should My Kids Spend More Time With Their Mom?
Five months into the divorce, Mark is enjoying his time with his kids, but struggles with supporting his kids when they complain about not having enough quality time with their mom. We discuss the pros and cons of making changes to the parenting schedule that will give kids more frequent contact with both parents, and think about ways to communicate productively with the other parent about concerns that the kids are raising about their time with the other parent.Topics include:• Supporting ki...
28 Jun 2024
Now I Know What "Triggering" Means
Four and a half months into the divorce, Mark and his ex have a stable parenting schedule, which seems to be mostly working. But behind the scenes, Mark is upset about his ex repeatedly violating boundaries that seem obvious to him, including entering his home without his permission. Our conversation also touches on how to continue co-parenting effectively even when upset with the ex and what to tell the kids when they ask if you still love their mom.Topics include:• Accepting the legitimacy ...
21 Jun 2024
“Divorced” Doesn't Need To Be Your Identity
Four months after the divorce, Mark discusses rebuilding his identity, working through his emotions regarding his kids and his ex, and practical self care.Topics include:• The surprising benefit of traveling and of not having "being divorced" as one's primary identity• How to share news of the divorce with friends and family, and the support it brings• The joy of feeling seen and appreciated by our kids--- The video Mark is referring to: What if My Ex Says Bad Things About Me to My Kids?• How...
14 Jun 2024
From "You Want a Divorce?" to "I'm Happy This Happened"
Six months into his divorce from his wife of 13 years and with two young kids, Mark reflects on what he learned, and what he wished he knew earlier.Mark also shares some practical advice about:• Navigating the first weeks and months of a divorce• Enjoying time with the kids• Enjoying time without the kids• Learning how to share the news with friends• Setting boundaries with his ex, including physical boundaries with the ex• The benefits of travel• Getting through the bad daysUse This Link to ...
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
12 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Contact Divorcing Dads
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Divorcing Dads?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
