“My Parents are Divorced, My Elbows have Nicknames…”

My Parents are Divorced, My Elbows have Nicknames, and Other Facts about Me is a new book by Bill Cochran that helps kids understand that living in a divorced situation might not be as weird as all the other idiosyncrasies a kid might have.

This book, written for kids 4-8, is well-done with good and real examples of the complexity of living in two houses, and the frustrations of not having mom and dad literally on the same end of the soccer field. It even treats the stepmom issue with grace (taking the side of the stepmother, of course).

Not to be overly politically correct, I was disappointed that the parents got stuck in stereotyped roles. Dad can’t cook, mom can’t do math, and mom is better at putting bandaids on. I think I’m pretty good at all three of those tasks. I know it’s hard not to step on a landmine when dealing with these subjects, but I would have liked to see one example that went against 2oth century notions of sex roles.

This might be good book, especially for younger readers, if you’re trying to communicate the “non-weirdness” of being in a divorced famil.