Co-parenting after separation or divorce BY ERIN PAGE . PHOTOS PROVIDED.
Russell Rooms gets emotional remembering the hardship of he and ex-wife Laura explaining to their sons they were getting divorced. Six years later, thanks to strategies learned during therapy and a commitment to each other as co-parents, Russell and Laura support each other, value their relationship and make their boys the priority. “People talk about how I have something I should cherish because most divorces aren’t like this,” said Rooms. “And they aren’t going to be unless the two people decide it’s going to be different.” As Audrey Williams* navigates a divorce from her husband of 17 years, she, too, remains focused on the idea that while divorce ends a marriage, it doesn’t end a family. “Don’t let other people’s bad experiences or definitions of divorce dictate what that means for your family,” said Williams. “You can choose based on your behavior and decisions what the experience is like for your family.” Both the Rooms and Williams families made use of counseling and therapy services prior to their decisions to divorce and after. For Williams’ family, Calm Waters Center for Children and Families has provided them with individual opportunities to process emotions tied to the separation, whole-family support and learning healthy co-parenting strategies.
52 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / JAN-FEB 2021
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