Sandpoint resident authors book on divorce

Divorce, and the changes a child experiences when their parents go through one, sways from one end of a spectrum to another. 

Some children appear resilient and some experience long-term distress. Parents often attempt to combat the degree of emotions any way possible for their child. Sandpoint native, Jeff Bock, created his book "My House in the Sky" with hopes to help parents grasp a better understanding of what their child may be going through.

“The genesis of 'My House in the Sky' was actually a long time ago while I was going through divorce,” Jeff said. His daughter, Lili, was a toddler at the time and spent her days living in two different homes and a daycare. Her daycare provider quickly noticed a change in her behavior and asked Jeff if there had been any recent changes in her life.

“Even at that young age her emotions seemed to regulate, and that always stuck with me and inspired me to imagine what could be going on in her young mind,” he said. 

And through the years, Jeff was curious as to whether or not his daughter was feeling emotionally safe. He watched Lili through her childhood, taking care to observe her emotional and mental wellbeing, and observing her state of happiness, contentment and how she was adapting.

“The regulations of those emotions are what I gravitated toward and that, in itself, sparked the question: What if my daughter had her own imaginary home where all her good feelings and good memories lived?”

He made mental notes as the years went by, and one day while sitting under his blossoming orange tree, "My House in the Sky" seemed to have come to its conclusion.

“The story seemed to finish itself,” Jeff said, “and it wasn’t until Lili graduated from high school that the book came to fruition and was published.”

After graduation and on her birthday, Lili was presented with her father’s gift. He asked her to close her eyes and hold out her hands. Jeff placed the book in her hands, not sure how she would respond.

“I had no idea about my birthday surprise,” Lili said. “I think, especially being an only child and looking back, my dad was very focused on me and very watchful of what I was doing and my behavior through the years. When I saw the book, I cried. There were lots of tears. It was so sweet and I was totally surprised.”

Jeff and Lili sat down and read the book together. Her response to her father’s book was emotional to say the least.

“Tears flowed, and it just felt right after we read the book together,” Jeff said. “Lili was so thankful and appreciative. Her mother was thankful as well.”

“I felt like my father’s book was very accurate in terms of me being in my own world,” Lili said. “My dad’s interpretation of my experiences of what he saw as a kid, and how I was thinking as a kid, was accurate. I feel like this book is a wonderful way to relate to other kids when their parents are divorcing. If someone read this book to me when I was younger, I would be so happy because it would let me know that someone else is going through what I was going through.”

Owner of La Chic Boutique, Justine Murray, will host a book signing this Friday.

“We chose to showcase Jeff’s book because it captures something many children experience but rarely have words for navigating life between two homes. It offers a compassionate, imaginative way for kids to process change,” Murray said.

"My House in the Sky" can be purchased at La Chic Boutique, 107 Main St., Sandpoint. A book signing will take place on Friday, June 26 from 3 to 4 p.m.

    Jeff Bock and his daughter, Lili Bock, with copies of his book, "My House in the Sky".