Guess which couple got more of what they wanted: Charles and Charlotte, who worked out a negotiated settlement together? Or John and Joyce, who let the court settle their differences? Couples who want to negotiate their own divorce settlements now have a comprehensive self-help guide, complete with ground rules, agendas for discussion, sample forms, and options for divorce mediation without "bloodshed." Not quite a "do-it-yourself" manual - you'll still need an attorney - but packed with real-couple examples of successful agreements on Co-Parenting, Custody, Financial Support, College Planning, Property, Insurance, Taxes.... An organized, thorough guide to the important issues for every separating couple, and an effective aid for those who seek professional mediation. "Your chances of getting the outcome you want are best when you take control of the decision-making process," says Martin Kranitz, Director of the National Center for Mediation Education in Annapolis, Maryland. "Couples can work out their own decisions, if they know what to talk about."

Is it possible to be independent... together? This provocative work follows partners who have struggled to find alternatives to the traditional idea that they must live together to be considered a couple. These individuals have created happiness in their relationships by maintaining their own autonomy. Whether you're a professional searching for ways to balance career and home life, an empty nester who wants to rekindle the fire, or a single parent searching for an alternative to a blended family, Living Apart Together will help you revitalize your relationship. By striving for independence, you can achieve stability with your partner - and keep your romance alive.

Argues for legal reforms to protect couples who live apart but perform many of the functions of a family Living Apart Together is an in-depth look at a new way of being a couple and “doing family”—living apart together (LAT)—in which committed couples maintain separate residences and finances. In Bowman’s own 2016 national survey, 9% of respondents reported maintaining committed relationships while living apart, typically spending the weekend together, socializing together, taking vacations together, and looking after one another in illness, but maintaining financial independence. The term LAT stems from Europe, where this manner of coupledom has been extensively studied; however, it has gone virtually unnoticed in the United States. Living Apart Together aims to remedy this oversight by presenting original research derived from both randomized surveys and qualitative interviews. Beginning with the large body of social science literature from outside the US, Cynthia Bowman examines the prevalence of this lifestyle, the demographics of people who live apart, their reasons for doing so, and how these individuals manage finances, care during illness, and many other aspects of family life. She focuses in particular detail on three key demographics—women, gay men, and the elderly—and how individuals from these groups engage in LAT behavior. She finds that while these living arrangements are more common than previously believed, there are virtually no legal protections for the people involved. Bowman concludes by proposing a number of legal reforms to support the caregiving functions LAT partners perform for each other. Living Apart Together makes an important case for formal recognition of this growing but largely overlooked family structure.

"Wise, timely, and truthful . . . There are as many ways of living together as there are people, and it's great that there's at last a book reflecting that with such humour and insight." -- Deborah Moggach, author, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" SPECIAL NOTE! -- ANNE WILL PERSONALLY ANSWER ANY QUESTION OF YOURS AFTER READING THIS BOOK. ASK ON HER WEB SITE, AND YOU'LL NORMALLY HEAR BACK WITHIN HOURS! You hear many reasons why marriages and long-term relationships break up, but there's one that's seldom acknowledged: Many committed couples would get along better if only they weren't roommates. But what can they do? They have to share a home, don't they? What if they chose to defy expectations -- their own and everyone else's? What if they decided to live in separate apartments or houses, nearby or even side-by-side? Wouldn't they avoid many tensions that typically drag couples down? Wouldn't they gain richer and happier times together? Anne L. Watson and her partner have lived this kind of life successfully for nearly two decades. In this groundbreaking book, she draws on personal experience to reveal the benefits of such an arrangement and tell how you might make it work for yourself. In the end, Anne helps you understand that not all couples need a common residence to live happily ever after. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// Anne L. Watson is the author of a variety of works, including housekeeping manuals, cookbooks, craft books, literary novels, and children's books. She is also retired from a long and honored career as a historic preservation architecture consultant. Anne "lives apart together" with her husband, fellow author, and publisher, Aaron Shepard, in Bellingham, Washington. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// CONTENTS The Vow How We Got Here Living Room -- Decorating and Entertaining Kitchen and Dining Room -- Cooking and Eating Bedroom -- Sleeping and Sex Bathroom Housekeeping Money Kids Pets Expectations Compromise and Cooperation Dominance and Deference Time Alone Time Together The Choice Frequently Asked Questions

Will living together bring you closer or drive you apart? You are about to make a decision that will take your life in a totally new direction, one that will have a lasting impact on you and someone you love. If you are wrestling with that decision, now is the time to stop and set your emotions gently aside and take time to sort through your own feelings, as well as other people's opinions about what is best for you. Candid, caring, and thoughtful, Before You Live Together is uses true stories to illustrate different living-together situations and their outcomes. It also addresses the basic questions and issues you may have asked yourself, including: Is this the best way to find out if we are compatible? Why do we need a piece of paper to tell us we are committed to each other? Is it so much cheaper than paying two rents? While this book presents biblical values in a compelling and loving way, it never lectures, but instead seeks to help you decide what is best for both of you. Read it for yourself. Read it with the one you love. Read it to make the right decision at the time when it matters most.

This book has been replaced by Getting Past the Affair, Second Edition, ISBN 978-1-4625-4748-7.

A collection of original contemporary love stories set during life in lockdown by some of today's most popular YA authors. Erin Craig "delivers" on a story about a cute pizza delivery boy, Auriane Desombre captures a girl trying to impress her crush on TikTok, and Bill Konigsberg takes readers along on daily walks where every step brings two boys closer to love. There's roommates-to-enemies-to-something more from Rachael Lippincott, a tale of a girl with a mask-making business and her potentially famous crush from Erin Hahn, and a music-inspired meet cute from Sajni Patel. Brittney Morris sparks a connection with the help of two balcony herb gardens, Jennifer Yen writes an unconventional romance that starts with a fortune reading and a take-out order, and Natasha Preston steals hearts when a girl meets up with the boy next door in a storybook oak tree. Romantic, realistic, sweet and uplifting, TOGETHER, APART is a collection of finding love in unexpected places during an unprecedented time . . . each with the one thing we all want: a guaranteed happy ending. In support of the book's publication, a donation will be made to Active Minds, a nonprofit organization dedicated to mental health education, research, and advocacy for young adults ages 14-25.