#28 - What struggling families and marriages can learn from parenting classes

SUMMARY This is child welfare attorney Susan Chesnutt’s second interview with parenting expert Sue Dockerill from the Florida Divorce Parenting Class.  In this episode we learn about parenting classes and how they support families going through divorce and child custody challenges.  Sue takes a deep dive into some Co-Parenting challenges like blame, change and dealing with emotions of each person in the family. ------------------------------ HIGHLIGHTS [01:03] Sue Dockerill reintroduces herself and talks about her program and what it does for co-parents. [11:40] Sue explains what her new parenting 202 class is and how it can further help co-parents after the 101 class. [25:49] How do parents interact in the 202 class? [33:31] Sue goes over how she gets parents that have divorced to come together to help their child. [45:56] How do parents respond to the program as a whole? [51:36] Sue and Susan discuss the meaning of the words respect and responsibility. ------------------------------ QUOTES [2:52]  “When people are in the angry stage, that's usually when they pick up the phone and call the attorney and nobody's home up there, they're justhurt and they're raw.” [17:47] “Parenting can be so much fun when you take out all of that anger and just start managing promises. That's really all it is.” [38:38]  “I think because I'm in teaching parenting classes that I have to  look at everybody like my family. So, when I'm teaching co-parenting 202,they're like kids, they're watching you and I love each one of them. I don't pick favorites.” [44:48]  “We’ve got kids that are resilient.  That resiliency is going to come when we put the problems back on our kids and we allow them to solve their own problems and stop blaming the other parent.” [54:40]  “You couldn't kick some more change in when you were married to them. You're not going to fix them or change them when you're not married to them, but you can change yourself.” ------------------------------ RESOURCES The Chesnutt LawFirm: https://www.thechesnuttlawfirm.com/about/ The Chesnutt LawFirm Parenting Plan Info: https://www.thechesnuttlawfirm.com/parenting-plan-lawyer/ Life Works Parenting Tools: https://www.floridadivorceparentingclass.com/