Children are extremely resilient but also fragile. Because of this, you may be concerned about how they will react to the news of your divorce.
This is a delicate and personal matter you must handle carefully. If you don’t take the right steps to tell your children about divorce, you may cause them psychological harm or even impact your relationship with them.
The proper way to tell your children about divorce
You can take several steps to ensure that when you break the news of your divorce, it goes as smoothly as possible. These steps include the following:
- Be honest
- Encourage your children to ask questions
- Remind your children they are not the cause or to blame for your divorce
- Never blame the other parent for the divorce
- Let your children know you love them no matter what happens
- Reassure your children everything will work out fine
- Listen to your children and validate their feelings
- Create a schedule or routine that helps your children have some sense of normalcy
It may be necessary to modify your approach based on your children’s ages and personalities; however, these tips should help you get started.
Take time to care for yourself
It is not unusual to hyper-focus on your children when you are going through a divorce to ensure they are adjusting to the changes. However, it is impossible to take care of them if you aren’t taking care of yourself.
You need to find ways to alleviate your stress and understand your rights in divorce. This will help you achieve the best possible outcome in the case and protect your and your children’s future.
