divorced
Sometimes a good divorce is better than a bad marriage.
A Couple Who Couldn’t Communicate, Until Family Mediation Changed Everything
I used to think I was a good communicator. I'd always been the one in the office who could smooth things over, get people in a room, and find the middle ground. So when my marriage ended, I genuinely believed I'd handle it sensibly. We were both adults. We had a daughter. We'd figure it out.
By Jess Knauf16 days ago in Families
Oscars Red Carpet 2026: The Best Fashion, Trends and Most Dazzling Looks from Hollywood's Biggest Night
The Feather Trend That Dominated the Night If one trend defined the Oscars 2026 red carpet, it was undoubtedly feathers. The contemporary revival of 1920s flapper glamour swept through the evening, with designers embracing soft, sculptural, and sustainably sourced plumage that added movement and drama to gowns .
By youssef mohammed19 days ago in Families
A Parent Who Didn’t Know They Could Apply for a Child Arrangements Order
I remember standing outside the school gates one Tuesday afternoon, watching the other parents collect their kids, and thinking: this might be the last time I do this. Not because I wanted it to be. Because I'd been told, in so many words, that it wasn't really up to me anymore.
By Family Law Service21 days ago in Families
A Mum Who Didn’t Realise a MIAM Could Help Avoid Court
For a long time, I believed that what was happening to me was the kind of thing that could only be sorted out by a judge. I genuinely thought that was how it worked. You split up, things got complicated, and eventually you ended up sitting in a waiting room somewhere, clutching a folder of documents, hoping the legal system would take your side.
By Jess Knauf21 days ago in Families
The Girl I Loved and Hated at the Same Time
The First Time I Met Her The first time I met Emma, I honestly didn’t like her at all, and if someone had told me that she would later become one of the most important people in my life, I probably would have laughed and walked away without believing a single word. It was during my first week at a new job in the city, when everything already felt overwhelming and unfamiliar, and the last thing I needed was someone who seemed confident, sarcastic, and slightly irritating in a way that made me feel like she could read every thought passing through my mind.
By The Curious Writer23 days ago in Families
Love That Acts, Not Love That Speaks
When Love Became a Language Instead of a Practice In modern parenting culture, love is increasingly defined by what is said rather than what is done. Emotional affirmation, verbal reassurance, and constant validation are treated as the primary evidence of care, while less expressive forms of love are often overlooked or misunderstood. A parent who says “I love you” frequently and validates feelings consistently is assumed to be providing something essential, while a parent who demonstrates care through sacrifice, consistency, and enforcement may be perceived as distant or emotionally limited.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast29 days ago in Families
The People We Become When No One Is Watching. AI-Generated.
There are parts of our lives that never make it into conversations, journals, or social media posts. They happen quietly, in the background, in the spaces where no one is paying attention. These are the moments that shape us the most, yet they rarely get acknowledged. They’re not dramatic enough to be called breakthroughs, and not painful enough to be called rock bottoms. They’re simply the private, unfiltered pieces of our becoming.
By Nyra Orrinabout a month ago in Families
My Body Found the Red Flags Before My Brain Did
The Weight of the Interior: An Unfinished Map of a Marriage The stiff blue cotton of my nursing scrubs still smells like the clinical lab, a scent that shouldn’t feel like a relief, but it does. There is a brown cardboard box sitting on the laminate counter, its tape shredded open by a house key because he couldn't wait the ten minutes I asked for while I was finishing a call.
By Brooks Ghost Max about a month ago in Families
A Grandparent Who Couldn’t See Their Grandchildren After Divorce
I still set the table for five every Christmas Eve. Force of habit, I suppose. My husband Malcolm tells me I do it without thinking, and he's probably right. Two years of quiet Christmases and my hands still reach for the small plates, the ones with the holly border that Lily and Sam used to eat their turkey from. Lily would separate everything on her plate so nothing touched. Sam would pile it all up like a mountain and eat from the top down. I could tell you what they'd say when they walked through the door. I could tell you exactly how the afternoon would go.
By Family Law Serviceabout a month ago in Families
A Dad Who Didn’t Know How to Handle the Grief of Divorce
The first morning I woke up alone in the flat, I made two cups of tea. Force of habit. I stood there in the kitchen holding both mugs, one in each hand, and just stared at them like an idiot. Then I poured one down the sink and watched it swirl away.
By Jess Knaufabout a month ago in Families
