Ex-Etiquette for Parents: Good Behavior After a Divorce or Separation, by Jann Blackstone-Ford and Sharyl Jupe; Chicago Review Press, 2004; $16.95; www.chicagoreviewpress.com.

Disguised as an etiquette book, this is in fact an indispensable guide to parenting after divorce, especially when step-parents and step-siblings are involved. Ex-Etiquette is loaded with practical advice for touchy situations such as second weddings, family reunions, holidays and new babies.  And more importantly, perhaps, advice on everyday interactions like phone calls to discuss picking kids up and dropping them off, or who is paying for gymnastics.

 

One of our judges brought this book home on a lark, amused by the fact that it was written by two women who became friends even though they were an ex-wife and current wife. But as he read sections out loud to his family, everyone was laughing and nodding in agreement, and they took on the book’s suggestion to use the word “bonus” family to replace the emotionally-loaded word “step.”

 

Written for both biological parents and stepparents, this helpful guide provides the tools necessary to raising a well-adjusted child after a stressful divorce.