From Meltdowns to Milestones: How to Make Children’s Transitions Between Homes Easier with Dr. Joanna Hulton
Transitions between two homes can feel like fault lines for children of divorce—every Sunday night drop-off or Friday afternoon pickup carrying the weight of change. In this episode of Divorce Happens, host Olivia Howell sits down with child development expert Dr. Joanna Hulton to explore how parents can ease the turbulence of co-parenting transitions and help children feel secure in both homes. What begins as a listener’s heartfelt question about her six- and eight-year-old’s struggles with back-and-forth routines opens into a compassionate and deeply practical conversation about children’s developmental needs in divorce.
Dr. Hulton, a parenting psychologist, author, and long-time child advocate, brings decades of expertise to the conversation, weaving together research, clinical insights, and the lived realities of families navigating divorce. She highlights why consistency, transitional objects, and small rituals of acknowledgment can dramatically shift how children experience their “two houses.” Through anecdotes from both her professional practice and Olivia’s personal reflections, Dr. Hulton reveals how even small acts—like validating feelings instead of fixing them, or reframing “mom’s house” and “dad’s house” as your house with mom and your house with dad—can profoundly change how kids process separation.
At the heart of the episode is a reminder that co-parenting is not about erasing conflict overnight, but about creating space for children’s growth amid uncertainty. Listeners will walk away with both hope and actionable strategies: the power of shared language, the importance of seeing each home as “theirs,” and the courage to set aside adult hurt for the sake of children’s sense of safety. Divorce may redraw family maps, but as Dr. Hulton makes clear, parents can still chart paths that help their children thrive.
Learn more about Dr. Joanna Hulton: https://www.freshstartsregistry.com/resourceguide/joanna-hulton-phd