What Should Be Included in a Parenting Plan? A parenting plan sounds simple on paper. You write down when the children will spend time with each parent, agree how school holidays will work and decide how important information will be shared. Done, right? Except parenting plans are rarely that straightforward. A parenting plan is not simply a contact schedule. It is a practical framework for how two parents will manage the many decisions, responsibilities and unexpected situat

The term “safe parent” is used constantly across social media, particularly in conversations about separation and difficult co parenting dynamics. But being the safe parent does not simply mean being the person with whom your child is physically safe. It means being the person with whom they feel emotionally and psychologically safe. The person who listens. The person who validates. The person who allows them to express difficult feelings without making them responsible for t

You receive another message. It is inaccurate. Accusatory. Perhaps even deliberately provocative. Before you know it, you are writing paragraphs. You are explaining what really happened, defending your decisions and pointing out every contradiction. You tell yourself that if you can just explain it clearly enough, they will finally understand. But they do not. Instead, they ignore the important parts, twist one sentence and send another message that drags you straight back in

If your child appears settled at their other parent’s home but falls apart when they return to you, it does not necessarily mean you are doing anything wrong. Children sometimes hold themselves together through a transition and release their emotions once they reach a familiar environment. That may be because they feel safe enough to let go, but it can also reflect tiredness, changes in routine, uncertainty or the emotional effort involved in moving between two homes. The beh

You've heard it before. From a friend, a family member, maybe even a well-meaning therapist. "Just communicate better." "You both need to compromise." "Put the kids first and move on." And honestly? In a normal co-parenting situation, that advice would be perfect. It's logical. It's fair. It makes complete sense! But you're not in a normal co-parenting situation. And the sooner someone acknowledges that, the sooner you can stop blaming yourself for something that was never yo

"The first one to speak loses." It's one of the oldest negotiation rules in the book. This week, I found myself sitting in a car dealership negotiating the price of a new car. Eventually, we'd both put our offers on the table. And then... Silence. Neither of us spoke. For almost ten minutes. We both knew exactly what was happening. The first person to break the silence would probably be the one who gave away their position. Eventually, I laughed and broke the silence. But ins

When people talk about the end of a relationship, the focus is usually on the obvious milestones. The breakup itself. The legal process. The emotional healing that follows. What is rarely discussed is the quiet period in between, the moment when life begins to move forward again, but the world around you has not quite adjusted. This is something I have coined as the Social Aftershock of separation . It is the unexpected discomfort that can arise when returning to places that

There’s a specific kind of exhaustion that comes with high-conflict co-parenting. It’s not just the logistics. It’s not just the messages. It’s not even just the court process. It’s the constant internal calculation. What tone should I use? Will this be twisted? Is this bait? Am I overreacting? Will this end up in court? You can look calm on the outside and still feel permanently braced on the inside. And that kind of tension adds up. The Invisible Pressure No One Talks About

When Co-Parenting Messages Feel Like Warfare There is a very specific feeling that only the safe parent understands. Your phone lights up. His name appears on the screen. And before you even open the message, your stomach drops. Your body reacts before your mind does. Your breath tightens. Your chest feels heavy. Your nervous system prepares itself for impact. Because you already know what is coming. The blame. The twisting of your words. The comments that are disguised as re

You tell yourself it wasn’t abuse because he never hit you. You tell yourself it was just an affair, or the drinking, or the constant forgetting. But something inside you knows it felt unsafe, chaotic, and one sided. If you’re reading this, you’re probably asking, “Is this just a toxic relationship, really sh!t choices or is it abuse?” Today we’re going to look at how behaviours like infidelity, addiction, gambling, and weaponised incompetence aren’t always simply bad relatio

If you’re a single mama, you’ve probably been accused of being “bitter,” “toxic,” or “badmouthing” your ex. It’s a tired narrative, and...

Navigating the constant sabotage, staying regulated, and raising Emotionally-balanced children in high-conflict, co-parenting dynamics....

There’s a message sitting in my drafts. It’s not rage-filled. It’s not dramatic. It’s not even long. It’s just honest. And that’s the...

Let’s be honest, none of us signed up for this. We’re thrown into the deep end, often dragging trauma, court paperwork, and a child or...

What is the Jade Technique and why, on earth, should you make it your priority to learn about it, now! The Jade Technique stands for: Do...

Navigating life as a single mama, especially when you're dealing with the aftermath of separation from a narcissistic partner can be...

Navigating post-separation abuse from a narcissistic or manipulative ex-partner is draining and overwhelming. However, employing...

I get it. You've walked away from the relationship and you want to shake off that old version of you that put up with way too much and...