Table 3.

Superordinate and subordinate themes for: ‘a whole new world’.

Superordinate Theme	Subordinate Theme	Coding from Transcripts
A whole new world	“Softened as a person”	Parenthood as a reminder of capacity to love and be loved More compassionate as a result of parenthood
	My window to the world	Children keep them connected/social connectedness Helps them stay relevant Worldly and wiser
	It takes two to tango	Learning to share parental responsibilities with partner Learning to co-parent after divorce/separation Making joint parenting decisions Complementing each other’s roles
	“Marching to the beat I drum”	Being kind to myself Learning to care less about societal expectations No perfect parent, just a real one Parenthood as a salient identity and protective factor