July 20, 2017
As a divorce mediator in Boston I am always looking for new tools, resources, and books to introduce to my clients. Not too long ago, an online search landed me on the Enlightened Littles website. Here I learned about their “My Two Homes” Co-
My first thought was that the Co-Parenting calendar would be useful for parents to hang in their house so children could easily see and understand the parenting schedule. I was also drawn to the fact that the magnets on the “My Two Homes” calendar would be easy for parents to make changes to the schedule, unlike a printed paper calendar with several cross outs. I reached out to Katie, the developer of the calendar, and a few days later my calendar arrived.
The package that arrived was large since the calendar measures 10” x 12”. I opened the calendar as well as the accessory packs that provide extra magnets with graphics of mom, dad, school, overnight bags, bus, and gifts. These allow parents to create a magnetic schedule with helpful reminders for the kids of what to bring, who is putting them on the bus and who will be waiting for them after school.
This past week at a first mediation session with new divorce mediation clients, one of their goals for the two-hour session was to
leave with a monthly parenting plan. I brought the “My Two Homes” calendar and accessory packs into the session, and as they discussed their plan I placed the magnets onto the calendar. The reaction was perfect. “That looks like I might go too long without seeing the kids” one of the parties said. The other agreed, “What if we moved it around like this?” said the other party. A few adjustments later, they created a parenting schedule they both felt would work for each of them and for the children.
The visual calendar, easily adjustable, helped them reach that agreement fairly quickly and in a fun and interactive way. I then disclosed to them that this was the first time I used this calendar in a mediation and they agreed I should continue to use it in my practice. While other mediators draw calendars, have blank calendars printed in advance of a mediation session, or project calendars onto screens, I now favor the magnetic calendar. What I liked most about my first client experience with “My Two Homes” products was that the parents could move the pieces around quickly and effortlessly.
