Customer Reviews

Sending Love, My "Different-Functional" Family (A Children's Book about Divorce)

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My boys were 1 and 3 when their father and I separated. I made sure to point out other single parent families we knew so they would know that they were not alone. I got this book about a year after we separated. Before reading it to the boys, I put some pictures of our family on the designated pages in the back and wrote "our story".

The first time I read this book to the boys, they were mesmerized by the images, then excited when they realized that the little boy in the story has parents who aren't married anymore, then thrilled to see their own pictures and hear their own story at the end.

I wish I had had this book a year ago when we first separated because I really think it's helped to give the boys words to describe our situation and helped them to see that different is ok. I would highly recommend this to any parents with young children who are dealing with divorce or separation.

When I read this book I cried, because as a parent that just went through a divorce, I still feel an amount of guilt for what my son must be feeling, or will have to deal with in the future. It's difficult for me to understand his emotions because he has autism. We already deal with a lot of misperceptions about his "disability", and now we will have to deal with the misplaced pity from those who think he comes from a "broken home". Hopefully, with resources like this book, my son will be strong enough to disregard words like "dysfunctional" and "broken", and know that he comes from a place of love. Thank you, Lori.

Sending Love, My "Different-Functional" Family (A Children's Book about Divorce)
In "Sending Love", five year old Joshua tells us all about himself and his family. He likes to play in the dirt, has a dog and a cat, and has two sisters and a brother. He also has two houses, his dad's house and his mom's house. His parents are divorced, and although they don't live in the same house, his mom and his dad love both him and his siblings very much. His family isn't "dysfunctional", it's "different-functional" instead.

"Sending Love" is a unique book about divorce on several fronts. The book is illustrated not with drawings, but with real-life photos of Joshua and his family. This helps children see that divorce is something that happens to real children and their families, and gives them a real image of another child that they can identify it. When Joshua has finished telling his story, he invites other children to tell their own stories, and the back of the book consists of a series of pages where children can insert pictures of themselves and the people and places in their own lives. There is also a page where both parents can write about their child, with a place for both of them to sign. While this section can be very helpful for children in divorced families, it can also be helpful for children in any family to begin to think about their place in the world and their own identity.

Sending Love gives equal time to Mom and Dad, and emphasizes how much they both love their children and the special place they both hold in their children's lives. In the brief introduction, Lori Hilliard writes movingly of how creating this book healed her relationship with her ex-husband and how they came to collaborate on the book together. Unlike many other books on the subject, this is a book in which every page shouts out a message of joy and love. Sending Love shows that mothers and fathers can still work together to raise their children in a loving family, even if they are no longer together as husband and wife.

None of us are immune to the effects of divorce. All of us have friends or family members dealing with the devastation divorce can bring into our lives. Often the children involved are left confused and wondering what this word "Divorce" means to them. This book helps children see life after divorce through the eyes of a real boy, someone they can relate to. The section for the parents and child to fill out together at the end of the book is an amazing gift to help with healing and perpetuate love. As a school teacher, I see many children dealing with divorce and I am excited to add this book to my classroom library to help those students, and the children around them, understand that just because your family is different, does not mean they are dysfunctional!

This book tells a beautiful story of a five year old boy, Joshua, whose parent's have gone through a divorce. The story is a very loving message of how Joshua has realized that his parents both love him very much--and that his family is not dysfunctional--it is simply "different functional". The story warms my heart, and is an inspiration to the fact that children in a divorce situation can indeed feel loved and secure by both parents. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to find love in a difficult situation.

I wish this book was available when I was a child Joshua's age more than 40 years ago! However, I'm so glad it's now available for the many thousand of young children who go through the life changing experience of divorce. 'Sending Love ... ' is encouraging, one can feel the love that went into making this book possible. This lovely book is honest ... Joshua's smile and sweet countenance (and that of his siblings) speak to my heart and mind and tell me that what they are sharing with us, the readers, is from their hearts. I commend Lori Hilliard on such a beautiful and honest book.