No one plans to get a divorce. While getting a divorce can mean moving in a more positive direction, the process can still be stressful for you and your children.
Often, children will have a challenging time coping with the changes that come with you and your spouse getting a divorce. You and your spouse might be ready to go your separate ways, but your children may not understand the need to make a change.
Here’s what you should keep in mind as you help your children through the divorce process.
Making time for questions
Children tend to have different ways they take the news that their parents are getting a divorce. Your children may have questions right away, or they might need time to process the information before they want to start to ask what your divorce will mean for them.
Divorce will have a significant impact on your children and how they view the security of their world. You can support them through this transition by making time to talk to them and let them ask questions about how it will affect them.
Age-appropriate discussions
Talking to your children about your divorce does not mean giving them the details about what happened between you and your spouse. It is essential to remember that, while your relationship with your spouse may not have gone the way you planned, that spouse is still a parent to your children.
Depending on the situation with your spouse, sometimes it can be challenging to talk about your separation without getting overly emotional. Keep your children’s ages in mind as you decide how to frame the discussion and how much information they should have about the divorce.
Supporting your children through a divorce is going to take more than a couple of conversations. However, when you are open to working through the situation with them, your children will learn to trust that you are there to help them.
