by Cindy Copeland

I am divorced and remarried......I have a 7 year old daughter, Katie, by my ex-husband and thankfully we have put our differences aside for her well-being.....My new husband, Todd, is to be commended for his patience and kindness during this process.....We now have a relationship that is united and Katie's Dad is involved every step of the way......He is here some mornings to wake her up for school, to see her get off the bus, to watch her open Christmas presents, etc......I did not want him to have to miss all the joys of her childhood just because we decided we did not want to be married anymore......I'm very fortunate because Todd feels the same way......Because of this Hal and Todd have formed a "friendship" and respect each other.....We go to parent/teacher conferences together, doctors appointments, soccer games......Todd is involved every step of the way - he coaches her soccer team and also volunteers once a week in her classroom reading......Sometimes people look at us like we're crazy, but for us it works and the greatest part is Katie does not feel like she comes from a divorced family......and now that Todd and I have a 2 1/2 year old, Katie's Dad loves her dearly and takes her to the park when he takes Katie, sits in the floor and plays blocks with her and on occasion has kept her when we had a funeral to attend.....It can work, if you are willing to put your child first.I am all for divorced families having a united front to protect the kids.....Believe me when I tell you that we still get funny looks from people, but I try and explain our position....Katie has the benefit of 3 parents who love her.....This is not something that came about overnight.....There were issues to be resolved, but it was so worth the effort.....Katie is a bright, healthy and happy child who doesn't suffer because we divorced.....She never has to wonder whose house she will be at on holidays or being gone every other week-end......Her Dad sold his house and bought one about 5 minutes away......All of our families accepted the situtation and now Hal is just an accepted face at whatever events are happening and when his family sends a gift for Katie they never fail to send one for Lexi (our 2 1/2 year old).......

Thanks for your web site......