Co-Parent Like a Pro

Co-Parent Like a Pro: No Trauma No Drama is a
compassionate guidebook aimed at divorced and separated parents who feel the
weight of unrealistic expectations thrust upon them. Authored by experienced
family law professionals with over 60 years of combined experience, the book
acknowledges the immense pressure parents face to embody superhuman qualities
in their co-parenting journey. It addresses the common feeling of being
scrutinized by both the other parent and the legal system and offers practical
advice to alleviate stress and foster healthier coparenting dynamics.

Co-parenting often involves frequent trips to court but many issues can be worked out between the parents with a roadmap to guide them on the most mild to the most extreme and troubling topics, including ineffective co-parenting and its effects on children. In part 1, common issues are addressed:

• personality disorders
• substance abuse
• parent communication
• exposing the children to parental conflict
• triangulation
• Parent-Child Contact Problems (alienation)
• and restrictive gatekeeping
• domestic violence.

The authors offer solutions that work. They defined and discuss options for improving co-parenting life. Parallel parenting vs. using a Parenting Coordinator, and implementation of your parenting plan.

In part 2, sample language and solutions to specific problems are offered for:

• family communication
• child medical care decisions
• child counseling and parents’ participation
  
• education decision
• personal care decisions
• time-sharing/parenting time
• extracurricular decisions
• safety decisions
• and a slew of special circumstances

The authors underscore the importance of effective coparenting in nurturing a child’s well-being and success. Drawing from their extensive experience as attorneys, parenting coordinators, and former judicial officers, they highlight the transformative power of cooperation between parents. Co-Parenting Without Trauma and Drama serves as a beacon of hope, offering a roadmap for parents navigating the complexities of coparenting, ultimately aiming to improve outcomes for children by fostering constructive communication and collaboration between parents, even in challenging circumstances.

Annette Burns, JD, is an attorney and a certified Family Law Specialist and Parenting Coordinator, practicing in Arizona. She is a past president of the international interdisciplinary organization the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), www.afccnet.org, a nonprofit organization of over 5000 international family law related professionals. She has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), a national organization composed of the nation’s top attorneys (www.aaml.org) since 2001. She has been named a SuperLawyer every year from 2007-2020 and one of Superlawyers’ Arizona’s Top Female Attorneys in 2013, 2014 and 2019. Her private practice in Arizona focuses on family law. Annette lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Nicole Siqueiros-Stoutner is a family law attorney, mediator, and court-appointed parenting coordinator. She has worked with Child Protective Services and a domestic violence shelter before transitioning to legal practice. After managing a non-profit organization’s legal department, she immersed herself in family law as an associate attorney and later as a partner in a Phoenix, Arizona firm. As a judge pro tem and trained Parenting Coordinator, Nicole serves the legal community by facilitating Alternative Dispute Resolution conferences and conducting private mediations. Her tenure as a judicial officer in the Maricopa County Superior Court and a participant on the Maricopa County Superior Court Mental Health Roster, Nicole is an effective advocate. Recognized for her contributions to the legal community, Nicole has received awards and invitations to teach family law courses at local institutions.