Art Imitating Life: Three Real Life Divorce Lessons From Ethan Hawke's New Film "Before Midnight"

Online, July 1, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman divorced in 2004 after six years of marriage. Nine years after their divorce, Ethan is taking his experiences as a real-life divorced dad to write his new film "Before Midnight". You don't have to be a celebrity to feel the effects of divorce. However, you can take three divorce lessons from the movie, which opened with rave reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival.

"Before Midnight" tackles a father's struggle to maintain his relationship with his teenage son who lives with his ex-wife. The movie opens to his son leaving after spending the summer together. The movie is timely as the summer season is upon us; a time of year that parents generally get to spend more time with their children. However, this can also be an extremely painful time for both children and parents of divorced families.

Our valued clients have given us years of experience and insight to help make a significant difference in not only the divorce process, but also life after divorce. Here are our Top Three Real Life Lessons from "Before Midnight".

Lesson #1: Make sure your children come first!
If you have already been through the divorce process then the decision about a custodial schedule has most likely been made, usually with some varying amount of input from the New York Courts. Respect this custodial schedule even though you may not love it; with few exceptions, it is important for your children to have a consistent parenting plan with the other parent. Every child deserves to be able to love both parents and be loved by both parents whenever possible.

Lesson #2: Leave the children out of "divorce-related discussions".
Like holidays, summer forces many families to be confronted with the facts of the divorce. Parents should never use their children to communicate information between spouses. Be sure to keep all child-related expenses and extracurricular costs such as summer camp private conversations as well.

Lesson #3: Determine what is really important.
The end of summer can be an emotionally challenging time for all parties. If a child has spent the summer with one parent, when it comes time to leave, separating can be painful for both parent and child. As the other parent, allow your child to show his or her emotions. Being able to openly show the excitement of the summer and subsequent sadness allows both the child and parent to truly enjoy the moments together thereby strengthening the parent/child bond.

At Donnellan, Knussman & Kraigenow, PLLC we know that divorce is unique and individual experience. We also want you to feel empowered and educated before and during the process, which is why we wrote the "Consumer's Guide To Divorce in New York: Six Keys For a Successful Divorce."

To get your FREE Copy:
Email [email protected] or call us at 518-884-0200

Contact: John Kraigenow, [email protected]