The Switching Hour: Kids of Divorce Say Good-bye Again

The Switching Hour is that time both hoped for and dreaded, when children go from one world to another as they shuttle between divorced parents.

Written from the child's point of view, this book will help parents simplify family life as children transition between parents.  Filled with facts and practical advice, The Switching Hour stresses that, even with the best intentions and parenting skills, children and parents must come to terms with living divided lives.

Click here to view the author 's introduction of the Switching Hour

Author Evon O. Flesberg, Ph.D., M. Div., LCPT is the founder of A Talking Place Pastoral Counseling Service in Brentwood, Tennessee. Growing up in the Midwest, she did her undergraduate work at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. After graduating from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque. Dr. Flesberg was ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and served churches in Iowa. She went on to earn her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where she is currently a lecturer in pastoral theology and pastoral counseling. In addition, she is a Diplomate in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors

"Besides parents experiencing a divorce, The Switching Hour should be read by every teacher, child care worker, minister and children's worker. Perhaps every lawmaker, judge, lawyer, social worker, and welfare staff should also be required to read it."
--Linda Ranson Jacobs, DC4K (DivorceCare for Kids) Executive Director

"Profound, passionate, courageous, deeply insightful . . . Dr. Flesberg has heeded Elijah’s call 'to turn the hearts of parents to their children.' (Malachi 4:6 and Luke 1:17). To read and use this book is to be confident that our children in our homes, churches and synagogues will be loved, protected, listened to, and cared for during their parents divorce and all the years following. Clergy often witness role reversal in divorce where the children cease to be the children and become the caretakers of their parents. Dr. Flesberg provides a concrete book which helps any parent and child to keep close through and following divorce. There is real healing on these pages. This book is a warm coat in a chilling wind. Professor Flesberg’s book fulfills an urgent need in our homes and faith communities. There is healing, God’s healing, in these pages. Help has come.
--April Ulring Larson is Bishop of the LaCrosse, Wisconsin Area of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

"In this book, Dr. Flesberg makes the point that children in divorce have feelings. They are more than just chess pieces to be moved around to satisfy the needs or demands of the parents. The painful and poignant stories in this book, told from the perspective of a child, should help parents, attorneys, judges, mediators, and counselors understand how to consider children more in their plans. She makes it clear the traumatic toll on children is all too real. Dr. Flesberg gives many good suggestions and thought-provoking ideas to help parents and children post-divorce."
--Marietta Shipley,The Mediation Group of Tennessee, LLC, Nashville

"Some 20 million children in the U.S. are shuttled between divorced parents. At each change, at each 'switch' of location, children confront burdens and fears visible only to themselves. In this generous book, Dr. Flesberg reveals those burdens and fears to the parents, grandparents, teachers, and counselors who wish to help. The Switching Hour is an essential book for families, teachers, and caretakers."
--Volney P. Gay, Ph. D., Vanderbilt University, Nashville

"Through quotations, letters, postcards, and vivid scenarios and vignettes, Evon Flesberg captures the hardship that children of divorce experience by living in two homes. She also gives specific suggestions for helping children cope with 'the switching hour' and other challenges in their lives."-- -William Bernet, M.D., co-author of Children of Divorce: A Practical Guide for Parents, Therapists, Attorneys, and Judges

"Evon Flesberg, has written an important work. She illuminates our understanding by flipping the switch on a national dilemma: kids of divorce saying hello and goodbye again and again. The poignant stories of these kids present us with voices most often never heard, and give us insights to their fears, pain, frustrations, and challenges. Begging the question . . . What can we do? Evon presents clear guidelines of both words that can be spoken and actions to take that will make all the difference in the lives and future of these children. Her recommendations will serve as a guide to true caring, compassion, and understanding .
--Teresa Flint-Borden, author, Women Married to Men in Ministry: Breaking the Sound Barrier Together

From the Circuit Rider review: "The Switching Hour is that somewhat anguished period of time, that period of difficult and often uncomfortable 'hello’s' and 'goodbye’s' as a child moves between the home of one divorced parent to the home of another. The Switching Hour is a resource that is needed and long overdue." (Click here to read the entire review.) 

 

Evon O. Flesberg, Ph.D., M.Div., LCPT, is the founder of A Talking Place Pastoral Counseling Service in Brentwood, Tennessee. She is also lecturer in pastoral theology and pastoral counseling at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. In addition, she is a diplomat in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.