In Between Them

James was three when his parents divorced. In an arrangement that flipped custody conventions of the time, his dad was awarded primary custody — because between his father and his grandparents, that side of the family offered the more stable home. His mom got 35 days a year. All of it was difficult, but Dad was the anchor. James walks us through what he calls the "hostage exchange" — the emotional...

Heather was an only child whose parents divorced when she was very young — too young to remember the before, with no real memories until the age of awareness, when she began to realize she lived differently from her friends. What sets her story apart on In Between Them is what came next: she successfully navigated a 2-2-3 schedule for her entire childhood. Why it worked is the part most adult chil...

Kelly was 14 when her parents' divorce arrived out of nowhere. The oldest of five — a mix of biological and adopted siblings — she watched the family split down a line that would shape the next decade: Dad took the older girls, Mom took the younger children. Both parents had new partners almost immediately, and Dad moved Kelly and her sister four hours away from everything they had known. What fol...

Ashlynn's parents were never married. She grew up full-time with her mom — one of four kids by four different dads, in a household supported by welfare and church. Her dad was in her life, but shockingly not on her birth certificate and not until she was two. Her entire childhood was built on the foundation of two people who had never been together and never got along. Both parents spoke badly abo...

Becca's earliest memories aren't of her parents fighting — they're of a quieter kind of disconnect, and of hiding, every so often, for reasons she couldn't name at the time. Her parents divorced when she was around three. In an unusual twist, her mom initially kept the family home, then later moved out and her dad moved back in. The same-neighborhood logistics made the back-and-forth easier — but...

Tara grew up in Texas, one of many siblings, inside a relationship that broke and rebuilt itself again and again. Her parents split and got back together several times — a cycle marked by volatile fights and an underlying fear her mother carried, even when Tara, as a kid, didn't fully feel or understand it. What she did experience, several times, was the middle-of-the-night pack-up. The quick gath...

Mark was under two years old when his parents divorced — too young to remember the before, but old enough to spend the rest of his childhood inside the after. In this episode, Mark walks us through one of the most unconventional family arrangements we've featured on the show: a split where his dad first took the two younger siblings and his mom took the two older ones — and then, on what Mark call...

In this expert episode, we sit down with Carol Barkes — America's leading neuroscience-based conflict expert, TEDx speaker, mediator, and consultant — to talk about something every divorcing parent or any professional working with divorce parents needs to understand: what is actually happening inside our brains in the middle of a conflict, and why do well-intended parents make so many mistakes? Ca...

Vanessa was three years old when her parents divorced — too young to understand what was breaking, but old enough to start building something new. In this episode, Vanessa shares the story of growing up as one half of a team with her mom, a stretch of time spent at her grandparents' house, and the every-other-weekend rhythm with her dad that anchored her childhood — until he moved away, and the di...

The Long Shadow of a Divided Home: Rashelle's Story When Rashelle was just 5 years old, she lost her biological father. By 6, her mom had remarried, and by 15, that marriage was ending too. But the divorce itself wasn't the hardest part — it was everything that came with it. A house filled with constant fighting. The instinctive, bone-deep urge to shield her two younger siblings from the storm. Th...

In this episode, Ilian Alchehayed, a Certified Family Law Specialist in Orange County, California, shares insights from his experience working with families navigating divorce. He explores the challenges parents face during separation and emphasizes why understanding the impact on children is essential. Ilian discusses how parenting time schedules have shifted over the years—from flexible arrangem...

Carly is the mother of Kate (episode 14) and stepmother to Sydney (episode 15) and in this episode she reflects on their episodes and what she heard, what surprised her and what resonated with her. She covers a wide range of topics, including her own speech pathology and how that impacted her step-parenting, personal experiences with illness and parenting, her divorce, difficult co-parenting and p...

Sydney shares the story of growing up through two pivotal family transitions—her parents’ divorce and the arrival of a stepmother who would become a defining figure in her life. She reflects on the early years of that relationship, the bond they built before her half-siblings were born, and how that connection later unraveled as her father and stepmother went through their own divorce—marking a se...

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series featuring a daughter, stepdaughter, and mother reflecting on their shared and overlapping childhood experiences. In this episode, Kate—17 and preparing to graduate high school—shares her perspective on growing up in a split household, beginning with her parents’ divorce when she was just three years old. With honesty and insight, she explores what it was like to h...

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Dustina Hall opens up about her experience growing up in a divorced family marked by instability, emotional strain, and complex family dynamics. From being placed in the middle of her parents’ conflict at a young age to navigating her father’s revolving door of relationships—and the constant uncertainty that came with it—Dustina shares how these experi...

In this episode, Devin reflects on life after his parents’ divorce when he was just five or six years old, growing up alongside his younger brother. He shares what it was like navigating childhood primarily with his dad, especially during a period when his mom disappeared and later resurfaced, facing time in jail. Devin opens up about the early years of moving back and forth between parents, and h...

Tyson shares how her parents’ divorce in eighth grade felt surprisingly normal. With several relatives already divorced and family friends going through the same thing at the time, the transition into a new family dynamic felt easier and smoother than it might have otherwise. She reflects on how her parents’ ability to remain cordial with one another played a major role in keeping life peaceful an...

Nicole shares the story of how her parents’ divorce came as a complete shock. Neither she nor her older siblings saw it coming, and the news left her feeling devastated and confused. In the immediate aftermath, Nicole struggled with feelings of embarrassment, as though the divorce reflected something about her or her family. During that difficult time, she found comfort in the support of friends....

In this episode, Doug shares the story of his childhood shaped by divorce, remarriage, and divorce again. He reflects on how he and his brothers each processed their parents’ separation differently, and what it was like to welcome loving step-parents into their lives—only to lose them to more divorce. Doug opens up about the quiet grief of losing great step-parents, how he fought to stay connected...

Angie opens up about how her parents’ divorce shaped her childhood—and how those early experiences echoed into her adult relationships with both of her parents. She reflects on the pain, resilience, and unexpected gifts that came from growing up between two very different households, including the powerful role of step-parents, the impact of parental communication (or lack thereof), and how outsid...

Stav reflects on the highs and lows of her childhood relationship with her father and the intentional choice to rebuild that relationship after college. She opens up about navigating two very different worlds—emotionally and financially—between her mother’s home and her father’s, and how those contrasts shaped who she is today. Through her story, Stav highlights the power of direct communication a...

In this conversation Brian delves into the impact of his parent's divorce on himself, his future relationships, and the intentional way he is now parenting his kids as a single dad. He explores the challenges and experiences of growing up in a divorced family where the acrimony between the parents was at an all time high. He shares how the drastic life change for his mother after divorce was incre...

Two sisters, Angelina and Montana, detail how they navigated their parents divorce together and how having a sibling made it easier. They describe how their parent's slow separation into divorce actually made the overall adjustment easier and less abrupt. They talk about the realities of going back and forth as teenagers, how one parent made their new residence a happy place and how they feel now...

Courtney brings to us the abrupt change of divorce without the memory of any real awareness of it coming. The conversation covers the drastic transition from California to Texas and the impact of her parents' divorce on her in 5th grade. She talks us through the challenges and emotional experiences associated with this specific significant life change and how at a young age she was vocal about wha...

Autumn takes us through her parents divorce from a very young age. She describes how and when she actually becomes aware of her family dynamic. She delves into the emotional trauma, her coping mechanisms, and the shift in perspective as the speaker navigates through her experiences. It also explores the co-parenting responsibility, family dynamics, resentment, and the role reversal in parenting. T...